Torn to Shreds
by VampQueenV
Summary: With Eric's marriage to Oklahoma, Sookie has no choice but to flee from those who would take her for her abilities. Years later her past catches up with her, and a sudden reunion sets in motion things no one could predict.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: **Lemons, references to torture/rape.

**AN: **Thanks to SophieMyst and Northman Mallie for beta'ing the first few chapters, and a big thank you to Ashensunset for beta'ing it all twice. Thanks also to DazedRose for putting up with me while I wrote this. This is post Dead Reckoning; everything is canon up until that point, or as canon as I can remember. Any spoilers for Deadlocked are purely guesses on my part, as I haven't read it, hell it hadn't been released when I started writing this. We have a seriously fucked up Eric and Sookie in this, especially Sookie. There is a banner for this fic on my wordpress. (link in my profile) I would like to thank EricizMine for making that for me. This story is complete, I have all the chapters written and will be updating daily. It is very angsty and I will be putting warning on certain chapters, so please read the author notes.

**Disclaimer:** Southern Vampire Mysteries, the characters, storylines, and settings belong to Charlaine Harris. No copyright infringement is intended.

OoOoO

**Chapter One**

"It's done. It's over," were the only words Pam spoke before she hung up.

Sookie cradled the phone to her chest as she sank to the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she buried her head in her knees, her heart breaking into a thousand pieces.

_It's done. It's over._

Eric was married.

Their relationship was officially over, just like that. She couldn't quite believe it; it didn't seem real. How could it end just like that? With a phone call, of all things. Even though she knew it was coming, she didn't think it actually would. Sookie held onto the hope that someone or something would step in and stop it, that they'd have a last minute reprieve. But that hadn't happened, and now she was facing a life without Eric.

It didn't seem fair to Sookie, after everything they had been through – all the pain, all the suffering, all the death – for it to just end like that. For them to not get their happily ever after was just not right. Sookie had finally come to terms with what others had known all along: she was hopelessly and madly in love with Eric Northman. She accepted it and him completely – only for them to be torn apart so cruelly. She regretted wasting so much time pushing him away; time, it now seemed, was something she hadn't had.

In that moment she wished Appius was still alive, or undead, so she could kill him. When Sookie first heard about the betrothal contract she had been furious, not only that such a thing was possible while she was pledged to Eric, but also that Eric kept it from her. It had taken Pam's constant nagging for Eric to tell her about it, something he wasn't happy about. A rift began to develop between her and Eric; Sookie breaking their bond caused the first tear and Eric hiding the betrothal contract from her had only widened it.

She hadn't forgotten how furious Eric had been when she broke the bond. Hindsight being what it was, she knew he had every reason to be furious with her. She hadn't thought everything through when she foolishly cut that string and broke their bond. She regretted breaking it the way she had, but if any good thing came out of it, it was that she knew without a shadow of a doubt that her feelings for Eric were hers alone; the love she felt for him was genuine and not a by product of the bond. Eric was, is, and forever would be the love of her life.

The events at Fangtasia the night they killed Victor added more pressure to their already crumbling relationship, and for a while Sookie wondered if they would survive. It seemed to Sookie their relationship was sinking faster than the Titanic. Every time they saw each other in the weeks after Victor's death they would end up fighting; they couldn't seem to get on, each of them verbally attacking the other. No topic was left untouched: they had screaming fights about his marriage contract, her breaking the bond, his feeding on fangbangers, her friendship with Bill, and her continued employment with Sam. A few times they almost called time on their relationship, but at the last second something would always stop them. The words would die in their throats, neither of them being able to say the two little words that would end their relationship.

Neither of them could say _it's over_.

It hadn't take Sookie long to grow tired of their continuing arguments. It got to the point where she couldn't take it anymore, and she decided to take the bull by the horns. She stopped by Fangtasia one night and laid everything down on the table. She bared her soul to him, telling everything on her mind; she hadn't held anything back. Tears were streaming down her face as she told him how much she loved him and wanted to be with him, only him. When she had finished, Eric had done the same, opening himself up to her. For the first time in weeks, they talked, really talked. No topic was left untouched, they both felt lighter once they had finished. It had taken them hours to talk everything out, but once they finished, they proceeded to show each other how much they truly loved one another and destroyed Eric's office with their passion.

With them once again on the same page, they turned their attentions to getting Eric out of the marriage contract. They appealed to everyone in power in the supernatural world, but none were willing to help. Felipe de Castro, the King of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Nevada, refused to help; he openly supported the contract, coveting Sookie and her abilities for himself. He knew that if Eric were forced to marry the Queen of Oklahoma, any claim he had on Sookie would be nullified. By vampire laws, Eric couldn't have a vampire wife and a human wife, and in all cases supernatural, the vampire wife would take superiority. As soon as the ceremony between Eric and Oklahoma was done, his marriage to Sookie would be broken and she would be up for grabs, and as the King of the state she resided in, he would have precedence over any other vampire wanting to claim her.

They had briefly toyed with the idea of Sookie moving to Oklahoma. Although it wasn't something Sookie wanted, she considered it the lesser of two evils. Even though Eric would have to consummate the marriage, it was only an annual thing; even though the idea turned her stomach, Sookie thought she might have been able to accept it. There was nothing in the contract that said he had to have sex with her more than once a year, and she couldn't force him into her bed every night. Sookie hated the idea, but if her only other option were to be Felipe's pet, she would accept it. Freyda could have Eric for one night if she had him for the other three hundred and sixty-four.

It was Freyda who put an end to that plan. The contract Appius bartered gave her the right to demand the dissolution of their relationship. Eric could have fangbangers, donors, or pets, but he couldn't under any circumstance continue his relationship with Sookie. Freyda had been adamant the contract be honored; she had lusted after Eric for many years, and she refused to play second fiddle to a lowly human. The queen knew she would never have his love, but she wouldn't stand by and watch while he gave away so freely to another what she craved. She wanted Eric for herself, and she wouldn't share him with another. She hated the fact she would have to share him with Pam, his own vampire child. She wanted his full attention. She intended to keep him tethered as close as possible to her and far away from the wife he chose.

Things had been looking very bleak for the two of them when they had almost gotten a last minute reprieve. They had received word from Niall Brigant, Sookie's great-grandfather. The old fairy heard of their plight and found a solution for them; he crossed back into the realm to present it. He explained that if Sookie accepted and declared her fairy heritage they could annul the contract with Oklahoma. As a descendant of Niall's and a member of the ruling house of Fairy, her status would have been higher than Freyda's. Eric and Sookie had been ecstatic, believing their prayers answered.

The two of them had been hours away from declaring Sookie's heritage and rightful place in the supernatural world, when they received a surprise visit from Mr. Cataliades. The demon lawyer risked his own life to come out of hiding to warn them of the dangers they faced. He had explained in great length that if they declared Sookie's birthright, as Niall had suggested, they would put her under his complete control, which is what Niall wanted all along. As soon as he took control of Sookie, he would have dissolved her marriage to Eric. He would have never accepted his great-granddaughter being married to a vampire. Shortly before he went into hiding, Mr. Cataliades discovered Niall's real plan for Sookie; the wily old fairy had been plotting since the night he met Sookie to separate her from her vampire. Up until that point, Sookie thwarted every plan without even realizing it. She refused his offer to kill Eric, and then she hadn't blamed her vampire for the time when she was captured by Neave and Lochlan. Niall even conspired with Victor Madden to keep Eric from going to her when she was being tortured, hoping she would blame him and cast him aside; instead she sought his comfort. As she lay recovering from her torture, he told her, "The vampire is a good man, he loves you," hoping it would confuse her, not knowing if he meant Bill or Eric. But Sookie hadn't even thought twice about it, believing him to mean Eric. He even sent Coleman after her, hoping Claude or Dermot would save her and she would turn her affections to them, but once again his plan had been thwarted, this time thanks to Eric and his maker.

He was ready to give up until when he heard of the contract Appius brokered with Oklahoma. Niall rejoiced at the news, knowing it was finally his time. He sent instructions to Dermot and Claude, ordering them to use their magic on Eric and Sookie to make them more argumentative, thinking he could finally tear them apart. It worked for a while until Sookie broke the magic they placed upon her by going to Eric. In that one act, Sookie had shown that their love was stronger than any magic and Niall finally realized no amount of magic could destroy them; even without the blood bond they were bound tightly together. Niall wanted to isolate Sookie from everyone who loved her, and as much as it disgusted him to admit, the Viking loved her. He wanted her alone and hurting so he could sweep in and offer her love, family, and a place among the fairies. He had wanted to be her hero; he had wanted her to come to him willingly, but he finally realized that as long as there was a chance for her and Eric to be together, that would never happen. She would never willingly give up on Eric, even if he did marry Freyda.

With no other option, Niall gave them the solution to their problem; he knew they would jump on it. He hoped the chance of them being together would blind them from the risks. It almost worked; he had been hours away from finally getting his hands on Sookie when Mr. Cataliades risked his own life to go to them. The knowledge that Niall planned to dissolve their marriage and forcibly take Sookie to Fairy to be a broodmare stopped them from announcing her birthright. In fact, Sookie had gone as far as to renounce it and him before banishing Claude and Dermot from her home. Dermot apologized before he left, claiming he was only following orders. But as far as Sookie was concerned he was just as guilty as the others.

With no other option, Eric had been forced to honor the contract his maker negotiated. It killed him to walk away from Sookie, but he was out of options. Eric spent one last passion filled night with the wife of his heart before making the journey to Oklahoma. There, Freyda arranged the biggest ceremony she could, inviting monarchs from all states to witness the historic event.

_It's over. _The words kept repeating in Sookie's mind. How could it be over? What did she and Eric do to deserve this fate? Pulling herself up, Sookie stumbled to the window in the front room and looked out over her land. Her vision blurred from all the tears as she rested her head against the cool pane of the window. She wondered what Eric was doing at that moment.

Was he dancing with his new bride? Or did they skip straight to the consummation? Would he kiss Freyda like he used to kiss her? Would he make love to her? Hold her in his arms?

More tears fell with each question that popped into her head. Sookie felt like she was dying inside, the pain unbearable. She longed to feel Eric's arms around her, holding her tight, his professions of love whispered softly in her ear as she dozed off after a night of making love.

Sookie was drawn from her musings by a void moving over her land, approaching her house. "Not now, please," she begged as she felt the void step onto her porch. She didn't even have to look to know it was Bill. He would have no doubt heard Eric married Freyda by now and was here to offer his sympathies. Sookie was well aware he wasn't sorry; she hadn't missed the smug looks on his face over the last few weeks whenever their paths crossed. He was happy Eric had been forced to marry Oklahoma. Bill would no doubt pretend he was sorry, but Sookie knew he was just doing it as a way to get close to her again. With Eric out of the picture, Bill would try to reclaim her affections. Sadly for Bill, he had yet to realize he would never hold her heart again.

Any feelings she had for him were long gone. Not wishing to hear his professions of love, "Bill Compton, I rescind your invitation," she whispered as she backed away from the window. She had just stepped foot into the hallway when she heard Bill knock on the door.

"Sookie," he called out, "I know you're in there."

"Then you should also know I don't want to see you," Sookie replied hoarsely, knowing he would hear her.

"I'm not leaving until I see that you're okay," Bill said stubbornly.

"Then I hope you enjoy the sunrise," Sookie said as she walked into her bedroom. She crossed the room and closed the curtains before collapsing on her bed. Taking a deep breath, she shuddered; she swore she could still smell Eric on her sheets.

"Sookie, you're being childish, now open the door," Bill chided.

"Go away!" Sookie screamed.

The anger in her voice caused Bill to pause, and he realized she wouldn't speak to him that night. Deciding to honor her wishes, he backed away from her house, swearing to come back the next night. With Eric and Pam gone, she was vulnerable, and he was the only one she could trust. He would get to her before Felipe had the chance to claim her and take her away from Bon Temps. Bill was convinced in time he could make her forget all about Eric and fall in love with him again. She would soon see he was her best option.

Sookie followed Bill's void across the cemetery, all the way back to his house. Once she was satisfied he wasn't coming back, she jumped off the bed and crossed the room to her closet. Yanking open the door, she dug around in the back and pulled out the set of red luggage Eric bought her after hers was lost due to the bombing in Rhodes. Placing the suitcases on her bed, she quickly packed everything she could.

She wasn't fooling herself into believing she was safe, but she knew it wouldn't be long before de Castro was knocking on her door. When he did, she intended to be far away. There was no way she could stay in Bon Temps – or anywhere in the state. If de Castro ever got his hands on her, life as she knew it would be over. He would turn her into a whore, exploiting her telepathy and taking her blood and body without permission. Her only hope was getting as far away as possible and hopefully stay off de Castro's radar. She doubted he would ever stop looking for her, but she was determined to make it as difficult as possible for him to find her.

Before he left for Oklahoma, Eric set up several non-traceable bank accounts for Sookie, and for once in her life she hadn't argued with him about it when he told her she would have several million dollars at her disposal. While she would have rather have Eric at her side than his money, she knew it was his way of taking care of her, and she wouldn't fault him for it. Eric had seen to it that money would no longer be a worry to her; it was just her safety that was the issue.

As she packed her suitcase, Sookie thought about all she was leaving behind: her friends and family, her home and job... but the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was a distinctly short list. Her brother Jason and cousin Hunter topped the list. It wasn't fair that just as she and Jason were developing the kind of relationship she always wanted with her older brother, she was forced to leave. Jason had finally grown up; he was taking responsibility for his life. He found a woman he loved and who loved and accepted him, and he was happy. After everything he had been through with Crystal, he deserved some happiness, but Sookie hated the fact she wouldn't be around to witness it. As long as de Castro held power in Louisiana, or anywhere for that matter, she wouldn't be safe or able to return. She wouldn't get to see Jason marry again or become a father.

Sookie felt terrible knowing she was going to walk away from Hunter; she promised Remy she would be there for him. It killed her to break that promise, but staying would only place him in danger. It wouldn't take long for some opportunistic vampire to learn of her connection to the boy, and they wouldn't think twice about using him to make her heel – not to mention what they would do if they learned of little Hunter's abilities. He would be exploited worse than she ever was. He would be taken away from his father immediately and forced to use his telepathy for whoever took him. She wouldn't subject Hunter to the fate that now chased her.

The only other people she was leaving behind were Sam, Tara, Amelia, and Alcide, and she wasn't close to any of them anymore. Tara had her own family to worry about, and the others never approved of her relationship with Eric. Sam and Alcide had been too blinded by their hatred of vampires to see the real relationship between Eric and Sookie. Whenever they set eyes on Eric, they only ever saw his fangs; they never saw the love he held for Sookie, always claiming vampires can't love. Well, her vampire could, and he did; of that she was certain. Sookie wasn't even sure what Amelia's problem was; she seemed to have a deep dislike for Eric, and Sookie had no idea why. Her actions after she broke the bond had showed her that. Amelia had wanted Sookie to live the life she wanted for her, and that wasn't something Sookie could do. No, Sookie realized as she packed her suitcase, she wasn't leaving any friends behind, just her blood family.

Looking at the time, Sookie saw it was still hours until sunrise. If she was going to escape Louisiana and the vampire coming for her, she would have to leave at the crack of dawn, just as the vampires were dying for the day.

With her mind set, Sookie made her way into her bathroom. Staring into the mirror above the sink, she barely recognized the sad-looking woman staring back; her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying, and tear tracks stained her face. The happy girl that she was had disappeared in a sea of heartbreak. Turning on the taps, she cupped some water in her hands and splashed it on her face, the cold water refreshing her slightly. Picking up her hairbrush, Sookie swept it through her blond locks, untangling the knots before throwing the brush on the counter and grabbing a pair of scissors. She stared in the mirror as she raised the scissors and cut her hair, taking several inches off and trying her best to make it as even as possible. The last thing she wanted was to end up with hair like the late Debbie Pelt. Once satisfied, she dropped the scissors and picked up a bottle of hair dye. She followed the instructions as she covered her hair with the foul smelling stuff. She cleaned up and disposed of her cut hair while she waited for the dye to work. After rinsing the dye out, she stared into the mirror as she ran her hand through her new shorter style. She couldn't say it was to her liking, but she needed to disguise herself any way she could, even if it was just by cutting and dyeing her hair.

The next few hours dragged by so slowly. Sookie was a bundle of nerves as she waited for the sun to rise, every little noise making her jump as she wondered if de Castro had come for her so soon. She took the time to write a letter to those she was leaving behind and to secure the house. She was extra careful making sure she hadn't left any clues behind. As the first rays of the new day were peeking over the trees surrounding her property, Sookie threw her suitcases into her old car. She slipped one of Jason's old baseball caps over her newly dyed brown hair as she climbed behind the steering wheel.

A tear trickled down her cheek as she took one last look at her family home. "Goodbye," she whispered before driving down the driveway.

* * *

We have thirteen chapters in total and it is very angsty in places.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Big thank you to my amazing beta, Ashensunset. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/alerted/favourited. I honestly wasn't expecting the response I got. Small reminder, when I started writing this, Deadlocked hadn't been released, so my portrayal of Freyda is probably very different from the book. I still haven't read the book, so anything that is similar were purely guesses on my part. With the exception of Freyda's age and description. I asked on twitter for those.

Someone asked me if this will have a happily ever after. Now I can't say yes or no without giving away the ending. I hope that doesn't put you off reading. I will say this though, when I started writing this, it was supposed to end after chapter one. It was just supposed to be a one-shot, but Eric demanded that he get his say, and who can refuse the Viking?

For those of you who don't like reading about Eric and Sookie with others, you probably aren't going to be happy with the next few chapters.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Twelve Years Later

Eric watched with barely concealed amusement as Freyda threw one of her famous temper tantrums. For all her claims to be a lady of stature and class, at times she acted worse than a human toddler. The twelve years he had been separated from Sookie and married to the vile creature in front of him had been unbearable, and he made sure they were as equally painful to Freyda.

Eric would never forget the look on her face on the night of their wedding when she realized she wouldn't be getting everything she desired. Eric might have been forced to pledge to Freyda for a hundred years, but he made sure she knew he intended to make them the worst hundred years of her existence.

_Twelve Years Earlier_

_It took everything Eric had not to spit the blood out as he drank from the chalice; it tasted like ashes in his mouth as he swallowed, forcing the liquid down his throat. Handing the chalice to Freyda, Eric barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes – a habit he picked up from Pam – as Freyda brought the cup to lips and made a show of drinking their combined blood. The way she was moaning, anyone would have thought she was having an orgasm on the platform. Eric watched with a sense of detachment as she handed the cup back to the King of New Jersey, who was officiating their ceremony._

"_I now pronounce you pledged," New Jersey's voice boomed to gentle applause. Before he had a chance to say anything else, Eric leapt off the platform and strolled towards the giant doors at the front of the room._

"_Eric?" Freyda screeched, her voice cutting through the murmurs of the crowd._

_Eric stopped mere feet away from the door and turned around to face her, a look of annoyance on his face._

"_Our ceremony wasn't over. You're supposed to kiss your new bride," Freyda said, attempting to sound sweet. _

_Eric let out a put upon sigh, playing the room to his full ability, before lifting his hand to his lips and blowing her a kiss. He let out a chuckle as he saw Pam do the same before strolling out the room, leaving Freyda humiliated and seething on the platform while all the visiting vampires tittered around her at the blatant disrespect her new husband had shown her._

_Trying to hide the humiliation she felt, Freyda thanked the King of New Jersey before gracefully stepping off the platform. Holding her head high, she ignored the whispers around her as she followed Eric out of the room. Her fury grew with each step at the disrespect he had shown her. She found him lounging in the room she had assigned his child like he didn't have a care in the world. She didn't miss the look of disdain on both Eric and Pam faces as she barged into the room._

"_What the fuck do you think you're doing?" she screamed, all pretence of the refined Queen she pretended to be gone._

"_Speaking with my child," Eric replied calmly. _

"_You're supposed to be at our wedding reception."_

"_Was I?" Eric questioned._

"_I do remember someone mentioning it, Eric," Pam supplied helpfully. "But you thought it was unimportant and a waste of time."_

"_Unimportant," Freyda screeched. "I have invited Monarchs from various states to witness and celebrate our union, and I won't be disrespected and made to look like a fool by you not attending. You will both return to the hall and join in the celebrations. Neither of you will leave until they're complete." Casting them both a scornful look, Freyda spun on her heels and stormed out._

_Rising to his feet, Eric smirked at Pam, "You heard the Queen. Let's go and entertain her guests."_

_A devilish smile spread over Pam's face. "I would be delighted to," she purred. _

_Freyda smiled as she saw Pam re-enter the room. She straightened her shoulders as she waited to greet her new husband, the smile turning into a scowl minutes later when Eric came strutting through the doors. Gone was the custom made suit and designer shoes she presented him with before the ceremony, and in their place he wore a pair of tight fitting dark jeans, a black t-shirt, and motorcycle boots. She bit back the snarl that was building in her throat as she watched him cross the room and greet the King of Texas, Stan Davis, and her anger grew as she heard them laughing together. As the night progressed, Freyda glared balefully at her new husband as he all but ignored her. Whenever she would approach him, he would dismiss her disdainfully or just walk away from her. She missed the growing whispers of her guests as they gossiped about how disrespectfully her new husband was treating her. _

_Growing tired of his actions, Freyda marched across the room while he was in conversation with the King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington. Wrapping her arm around his, Freyda dug her nails into his forearm when he tried to shake her off. Looking up at him, she fluttered her eyelashes and smiled up at him._

"_I do hope I'm not interrupting anything," she simpered._

"_Of course not," Russell said, answering instead. "I was just asking after the delightful Miss Stackhouse."_

"_Really?" Freyda gritted out, not happy hearing that name on her wedding night. _

"_Oh, yes. Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting her?" Russell asked. He never gave Freyda the chance to answer before he continued on. "She is such a lovely young woman, and so brave. She actually took a stake meant for my second in command, Betty-Jo, and she hadn't even met her at the time. And then there were her actions at Rhodes. If it wasn't for her, many vampires would've perished that fateful day. She is truly remarkable, something I never thought I would say about a human. I can certainly understand why she holds the Viking's heart."_

_Freyda's eyes blazed at the implication of Russell's words. "Eric is mine," she snarled. "He is my husband."_

"_Come now, my dear," Russell replied, leaning in closer. "It is no secret that this union wasn't of the Northman's choosing. We all know his Maker forced him into it; you and the Roman brokered the contract behind his back, and he tried everything he could to get out of it. Everyone knows Eric considers Miss Stackhouse to be his true wife."_

"_Their union was broken," Freyda said._

"_And yet, she still holds his heart," Russell taunted before turning his back on Freyda and walking away. _

"_How dare he talk to me like that, and how dare you let him," Freyda spat. "You should've defended me."_

"_From what? The truth?" Eric replied. "Every word he spoke was the truth."_

"_You're my husband."_

"_Through no choice of my own," Eric growled, shaking her off, before storming out the room again. _

_Despite Freyda's many demands, Eric refused to return and take part in the farce that was their reception. Freyda was forced to rejoin the celebrations to their wedding alone. Her humiliation reached new heights when she had to forgo the traditional first dance with her new husband due to Eric's refusal to participate in the mockery. _

_As Freyda left the celebrations hours later a wicked smile spread over her face; it was time for them to consummate the pledging. Eric had no choice but to participate in that. The rules were clear: if he didn't he could be severely punished, up to and including meeting the true death if she so demanded it. After sending one of her vampires to inform Eric his presence was requested, nay, demanded in her chambers, Freyda set about setting the stage for the wedding night._

_Pouring two glasses of Royalty Blend into champagne flutes, Freyda set them down on the cabinet beside her bed, before quickly stripping off her wedding gown and putting on a sheer white night dress that fell to her upper thighs. She didn't bother to put on any under garments, leaving her body almost bare. She lounged back on the bed in what she believed to be a seductive pose, her legs parted slightly in invitation. _

_Eric could smell her arousal before he even stepped foot into her chambers; he clenched his fist in anger at the thought of what he was going to be forced to do. Eric had sex with countless men and women over the centuries, humans and supernaturals, but apart from those early years with his Maker, it was never against his will or against the will of his partner. But this was most certainly against his will; under any other circumstance Eric would have never touched Freyda. He couldn't believe he was being forced to defile his body in such a way. A thousand years passed, but Appius was still raping him. _

_Gritting his teeth, Eric pushed open the door to her chambers, his eyes taking in the decadent design. The room was filled with expensive antiques and trinkets. It was clear to him that Freyda was trying to show off her wealth, but Eric thought it only made her look cheap. There was no style to the room, just the advertisement of someone who had money. Freyda was nothing like his slain Queen, Sophie-Anne, and in that moment Eric found himself mourning his old Queen. Sophie-Anne was a Queen of class and honor, a true monarch, unlike the charlatan who now held her throne. If Sophie-Anne had still been among the undead and the ruler of Louisiana, Eric wouldn't have been in this predicament. The marriage contract would have been nullified before the ink even dried on it. _

_Eric had few regrets in his long existence, not seeing the point of obsessing over the past when the future was what he had to live, but he did regret not avenging his Queen and sending de Castro into the next life. He should have struck down the arrogant Spaniard when he had the chance on the night Seigbert attacked them. Instead of defending his new King, he should have taken his head off. He would have been forced to step into the role of King, but at least he would have been able to refuse the contract Appius made with Freyda. A King or Queen couldn't be forced into an alliance not of their choosing; it was one of their oldest laws. _

_Eric let out a growl at the thought. It seemed that now it was too late to do anything about it, he had thought up a way out. Killing de Castro now would do nothing but make him feel better; he was pledged to Freyda, and killing his former King wouldn't change that. Although, it would keep Sookie safe from him, but not anyone else who wished to use her._

_So lost in his thoughts about killing de Castro, Eric hadn't noticed Freyda climb off the bed and saunter towards him. She ran her hands down the front of his body, snapping Eric out of his thoughts. Mistaking Eric's growl of anger as one of lust, she pressed her breasts into his chest as her arms wrapped themselves around his waist, her eyes darkening with lust. _

"_I knew you wanted me," she purred as she rubbed herself against him._

_Grabbing her by the shoulders, Eric pushed her away from him. "Then you are even stupider then you look," he sneered, eyeing her with distaste. _

_He couldn't deny she was quite attractive, and before he met Sookie he may have entertained the notion of bedding her, but that's as far as it would have gone. He would have fucked her and then walked away, never looking back; he would have never tied himself to her. The only woman he ever wanted to tie himself to in such away was his lover, his Sookie. As usual, the thought of Sookie brought a smile to his face and a stirring to his pants. Images of how they spent the previous night filled his mind, their desperation and sorrow at knowing it was their final together had fuelled their passion. Their coupling had been hard and fast, slow and gentle and all consuming. Sookie gave herself to him in every way possible and in return he worshipped her in all the ways he knew._

"_Really, darling," Freyda drawled, "your lips might say one thing, but your body says something entirely different." Her eyes fixed on the impressive bulge pressing against the front of his jeans. She reached out in an attempt to rub her hand over him, but Eric caught her wrist._

"_Don't flatter yourself, your majesty," Eric growled. "It's not because of you."_

_Snatching her hand away, Freyda paced back and forth. "Let me guess, it's because of your telepathic little blood bag," she snarled. "You know you'll never have her again. By time you're free she'll be nothing but dust. Well, unless Felipe decides to turn her, but even then you'll never have her."_

"_I know," Eric admitted. "I may never have the pleasure of laying with my lover again, but it doesn't mean I will stop thinking about her. I will never stop thinking about her warm thighs wrapped around my hips, her small hands gripping my shoulders, how amazing it felt to be inside her, how her hot, wet cunt would grip me so tight, the face she made when I made her cum. It is those memories that make me hard. If it wasn't for those memories I wouldn't even be able to get it up enough to be forced to fuck you."_

"_I have suitors lining up for a place in my bed; you should feel honored I chose you. You should worship me. I can give you pleasure like you have never experienced before. I can please you better than your little blood bag did."_

"_Sookie was my greatest pleasure," Eric dismissed. "You could never match up."_

"_I am a vampire Queen," Freyda replied. "I am not some backwater piece of trash. You won't ever have to hold back with me, you can be the vampire you were created to be. I can do things she never could. You won't have to hide who you are."_

"_I never had to hide who I was," Eric said. "She accepted me. Sookie gave me everything I needed, everything I wanted."_

"_Enough, you won't speak her name again," Freyda ordered, not wishing to hear any more. "You're mine. My husband, not hers."_

"_Again, through no choice of mine," Eric said repeating the words he had spoken earlier. "If I had the choice I would be with Sookie now."_

"_I said not to speak her name."_

"_I do not care what you say," Eric growled. "I will speak of her whenever and as often as I like."_

"_I grow tired of this," Freyda huffed. "It's our wedding night, the time for us to seal our union and make love."_

_Eric looked at Freyda like she was insane. It was bad enough he had to stick his dick in her; there was no way he was actually going to make love to her. As he eyed her with barely disguised hatred he found himself wishing he hadn't rejected Pam's idea and become the first vampire in history to wear a condom. _

"_I will never make love to you," he stated. _

"_You know our laws, Eric," Freyda said her eyes running over him as she mentally undressed him. "Unless you want to face punishment you have to make love to your new wife."_

"_I have to fuck you," Eric corrected. "I may have to stick my cock in your disease-ridden fuck hole," he silently thanked Pam for that insult, "but believe me, I will never make love to you."_

_Freyda took a deep unneeded breath as she tried to calm herself. This was her wedding night and she wouldn't allow anyone to ruin it for her, not even her new husband. She had been waiting for this moment for a quite a while, ever since she had seen Eric dancing with Sookie at Rhodes. She had seen the passion Eric held for the little telepath and she wanted it for herself. She wanted his strength, his loyalty, his body, but more importantly she wanted his heart. Freyda was convinced that once Eric had a taste of what she had to offer he wouldn't refuse her. He would forgive her for involving Appius and forget about his former bonded._

_Sauntering towards him again, Freyda placed her hands on his t-shirt covered chest, smiling inwardly when he didn't remove them. She delighted in the feeling of his hard chest beneath her hands; she couldn't wait to feel it pressed against her as he made love to her. The thought of what was to come had arousal flooding her body. She could feel her excitement pooling between her legs and dripping down her thighs. The anticipation of what was to come driving her crazy. _

"_Take me to bed, my husband," Freyda purred. Lifting herself up onto her tiptoes, she angled her head towards Eric's, intending press her lips to his, but before she had the chance, Eric gripped her shoulders painfully and spun her around. Pushing her against the nearest wall, he held her hands above her head while he freed himself from the confines of his jeans. Holding her hands above her head with one hand, he lifted her nightdress up with the other._

"_Mmm, yes," Freyda moaned._

_Eric gritted his teeth as he took his erection in his hand. In that moment Eric found himself grateful that Sookie had broken their bond. As much as he mourned the loss of it, he wouldn't have wanted her to feel what he was about to do. Lining himself up, Eric pushed into Freyda hard, burying himself deep inside her with one thrust, uncaring of any discomfort it may have caused her. He thrust into her a few times before pulling his still hard cock out and forcing it back into his jeans and strolling to the door._

"_Eric!" Freyda screamed once she realized he had no intention of continuing. _

"_What?" Eric asked pausing by the door._

"_Where do you think you're going?"_

"_To visit with my child," Eric replied. "I shall rest with her tonight."_

"_We're not done here," Freyda yelled._

"_Yes, we are."_

"_No, we're not. We haven't consummated our pledging, our laws say…"_

"_That I have to fuck you," Eric interrupted. "They say nothing about how long it must take or whether you or I have to cum. I followed our laws; this sham of a marriage has been consummated. Now if you will excuse me, I feel the need to cleanse my body of your filth. Good evening, your majesty."_

_The door to her chamber was barely shut before one of her Ming vases crashed into it. A scream tore from her throat as she destroyed her room. She couldn't believe Eric had humiliated and dismissed her in such away. _

_Eric smiled to himself, receiving the first bit of pleasure all evening as he listened to Freyda destroy her room. It was just the first volley in the war he had just declared, but he was quite happy with himself. If he were forced to stay married to Freyda and away from his love, the wife of his heart, Sookie, he would make Freyda suffer with him. He made his way through Freyda's palace to Pam's room, eager to tell his child about everything that transpired. _

_When Freyda rose the next night, gossip was rife among her subjects. Everyone had heard how her new husband shunned her the night before, choosing to rest with his child. Some thought it a slight to their Queen, while others questioned her wisdom at tying herself to someone who clearly despised her. Good or bad, Eric's actions had everyone talking. _

_The whispers only grew worse when instead of greeting his new wife in thanking those who attended their union, Eric greeted his Freyda with his bags packed and the news he would be taking his leave._

"_No," Freyda snarled her eyes glaring balefully at Eric. "I won't allow it. I forbid you to leave my Queendom."_

"_With all due respect, your majesty. You have no right to forbid me to leave," Eric replied coolly. "While I have been forced to marry you, I have not at any time sworn fealty to you. I am free to leave any time I see fit."_

"_You're my husband and as such your place is by my side," Freyda argued. _

"_Our laws, which I know you are familiar with, state pledged couples do not have to live together if they do not want to, and I assure you, I do not want to. All that is required is a coupling once a year. I am free to leave whenever I want. So I shall see you next year," Eric said as he bowed in a mock salute before exiting the room._

Good to his word, it was a year before Freyda set eyes on him again. During that year he spent his time building his resources as he gathered everything he needed to overthrow de Castro. Eric didn't want to be King. His drive to see de Castro usurped was more to do with his need to keep Sookie safe and out of the vampire King's hands than any real desire for power. When Eric heard the night after his wedding that Sookie was gone, she had fled, he knew it wouldn't be long before de Castro gave chase. He had used centuries of connections to keep de Castro grounded long enough for Eric to take his head. The takeover had been bloody and brutal, but at the end of the night, Eric stood victorious and the King of three states.

Freyda had been overjoyed when she heard the news. Although she had been angry that Eric hadn't sought her council or included her in his plans, she had been willing to overlook that when she realized she was now the Queen of four states and would be one of the most powerful Queens in the US. Her joy had quickly given way to dismay and then anger when Eric informed her he had no intention of tying their states together, and she would never be his Queen.

With de Castro dead and him in power, Eric tried to get word to Sookie that it was safe for her to return. Even though they couldn't be together, he could still protect her, but after nearly a year even he couldn't find her, something he was both happy and sad about. He was happy that she was beyond the reach of the American vampires, but sad that he had no idea how she was. His only pleasure was in knowing that Bill hadn't found her either. The younger vampire hadn't wasted any time in chasing after her, but as far as Eric knew he hadn't ever succeeded in capturing her.

For twelve years Eric followed the same pattern, he would arrive at Freyda's palace on the night of their anniversary and fuck her in the same way he did on their wedding night. Eric would never take her on the bed, nor would he disrobe in front of her, each year he would penetrate her quickly before pulling out and leaving. Not once did he make her cum, despite her many tricks. Over the years Eric had been forced to be in her presence on nights other than their anniversary for various reasons, and on those nights, Eric would go out of his way to humiliate her. It was often childish and unfit way for a King to act, but Eric couldn't bring himself to care. Time hadn't healed the wound left by his separation with Sookie, and he lashed out at one of the people responsible.

The monarchs of the other states often found it amusing; they all wondered what the Norseman would do next. They watched Eric and Freyda like they were their own personal soap opera, at times egging Eric on by inviting them both to their states at the same time. They took pleasure in watching the once-regal Queen be brought down to size. Her arrogance had grown to epic proportions over the years and they enjoyed watching her be humiliated.

Eric had been quick to assert his control over his new states, showing those who enjoyed his treatment of Freyda that he hadn't lost his edge and was still a force to be reckoned with, in case they got it into their minds to attack him. Eric may have become cruel and vindictive in the last decade, but he hadn't become soft.

Eric was dragged from his trip down memory lane by Freyda's shrill voice; he smirked as he saw the Queen round on her vampire child, berating her for her actions.

"How dare you," Freyda screeched, eyeing her cowering child. I gave you the gift of immortality and this is how you repay me. Fucking my husband in my own bed."

"Forgive me my Queen."

"Forgive you?" Freyda snorted. "I should have you chained in silver and whipped. And as for you," she spun around and rounded on Eric who was still lying in the bed. "How dare you disrespect in such a way!"

Rolling his eyes, Eric pulled himself from the bed. Lifting his arms over his head, he made a show of stretching. Grabbing his jeans, he pulled them on before turning to face Freyda. He sneered at the heated look in her eyes as they fell over his body. He couldn't believe she was still clueless after all these years. Since the night of their pledging he showed her nothing but disrespect. It wasn't even the first time she had caught him fucking someone from her retinue. Hell, he had probably fucked every female in the place in one way or another, and he made no secret of it, in fact he advertised it.

Eric smirked devilishly as he recalled an incident about six years ago, when, after celebrating his anniversary by giving Freyda he usual three thrusts, he collected half of the female donors who resided in the palace and proceeded to fuck them until dawn. He made sure everyone could hear them. Granted, fucking his wife's child was in a different league to fucking her guards, pets, and donors, but by now she should expect it.

Eric let his eyes flick over the Queen's child, Marietta. She was attractive in a way, with her long black hair and green eyes; her body was lithe and pale. She wasn't his usual type, but then, Eric tended to avoid them as much as possible. As much as he enjoyed blonde-haired women with fuller figures, they reminded him too much of Sookie – not that he needed the reminder. She still haunted him.

The vampire cowering from her Maker was nothing like his lost love. She had merely been a means to an end, like all women were these days. He hadn't set out to bed her; he paid her little attention over the years, and he certainly had no plans to seduce her. She had been the one who did the entire running. She had been flirting with him for years; whenever their paths crossed she had been blatant with her come on. At first Eric assumed she was following Freyda's orders, that for some reason Freyda was responsible for her child's actions, but the more he observed them, the more he realized Marietta was acting on her own. Freyda had no idea she was coming on to him.

When Eric arrived at Freyda's palace that night he hadn't intended to bed Marietta. He had no plans other than sticking his cock in Freyda once and then getting the hell out of there. But as he was leaving, he ran into Marietta. She had been more aggressive in her pursuit of him that night; she all but begged him to let her suck his cock. Never one to turn down a blowjob, Eric pushed her to her knees and pulled his cock out of his pants, making her suck him off in the middle of the corridor, not caring who saw. Marietta had been happy to comply, wrapping her lips around his cock before the last word spilled from his lips. Marietta had blown him like a pro, twisting her tongue and hollowing her cheeks; Eric shot his seed down her throat, holding her head to him making her drink every last drop. Her eyes shone with lust as she kneeled before him and she asked him if there was anything else she could do for him, emphasizing _anything_.

Eric wasted no time. Pulling her to her feet, he dragged her down the corridor towards Freyda's chambers, knowing she would have left them by now, having learned her patterns years ago. Having been refused by him again, she would head straight to the donor pool where she would repeat her order that no donor was allowed near him that night. Something she had been doing for the last five years, not wanting a repeat of her previous humiliation, before getting a donor to finish what Eric refused.

Eric hadn't planned to fuck his wife's child in her bed, but he wasn't going to pass it up. He had Marietta naked and on all fours before the door even closed. He had taken her hard and fast, making her cum numerous times, soaking Freyda's bed in their combined juices. He pounded into hard, setting an almost brutal pace as she begged for more. He hadn't even stopped when Freyda returned, walking in on the two of them. Not until she had flown at them did he pull out of Marietta.

His attention was drawn back to Freyda, her ranting finally tempering off. Seeing the glare she was sending him, he realized she was waiting for him to explain his behavior and apologize. Grabbing his shirt, he slipped it on. "What?" he asked as buttoned it up.

"What?" Freyda repeated shrilly.

"Yes, what?"

"How dare you treat your Queen like this," Freyda raged.

"You are not my Queen, and you never will be," Eric replied, repeating words he had spoken a hundred times.

"I'm Queen of this state, the state you're in," Freyda said. "You will respect me. Now I want an explanation for your actions."

"I was horny," Eric said shrugging his shoulders. "And your child was most accommodating and quite talented. The things she can do with her tongue," Eric ran his tongue over his teeth, "were inspiring. You must be so proud to have such a talented, giving child."

"You had no rights to touch her. She was off-limits."

"Then perhaps you should have told her that," Eric said. "She was the one who initiated it."

"You expect me to believe that?" Freyda scoffed. "You've shown you will do anything to humiliate me, and fucking my child would certainly fit with your plan."

"True," Eric admitted.

"So you admit it, you seduced my child for no other reason then to humiliate me."

"No, it may come as a surprise to you Freyda, but not everything I do is about you. You did not even factor into my thoughts tonight. And, to be clear, I did not seduce Marietta; she was the one who did all the chasing, like a bitch in heat. I was leaving this godforsaken place when she stopped me in the corridor and all but begged to suck my cock, which she did very well by the way."

"You don't honestly expect me to believe what happened here tonight wasn't of your doing?"

"You can believe what you like, I do not care," Eric answered truthfully.

"You will care, I will make you care," Freyda said, glaring at him furiously.

"I will never care," Eric replied his tone hard, "not for you, your position, or your state, and there is nothing you can do to make me. The sooner you accept that the better it will be."

"I've tolerated a lot from you over the years. I've given you time to mourn the loss of that pathetic little telepathic blood bag, and I've put up with your disrespect because I know together we would be unstoppable, but it ends now. All your games will cease; you will be the husband I want you to be. While you're in my area you will bed me and only me. I don't care who you whore yourself with outside of my state. You will announce me as your Queen and we will unite our states. You will honor our marriage like your Maker intended."

"No, I won't," Eric replied simply. "This will end in eighty-eight years."

"It'll never end. You're mine, I'll never let you go."

"You will have no say in the matter," Eric said. "Appius is gone, and even if he wasn't, as a King he couldn't force me to repledge to you. Nothing and no one can. This will end – the whole farce you call a marriage and I call a sentence."

"You will repledge to me when the time comes," Freyda shouted. "You will treat me like your wife and Queen. You owe me."

"I owe you?" Eric repeated incredulously.

"Yes, I made you a King," Freyda snarled. "If it wasn't for me you would still be a lowly Sheriff. I made you royalty. I gave you a taste of what it felt like and you wanted more. You're a King because of me."

"No, I am a King because of her," Eric replied his tone firm. "I took de Castro's head because I knew she would never be safe while he lived. You had no part in my reasoning or actions. Do not overestimate your importance, Freyda. I am not a King because of you. Everything I did was because of her. I am just sorry I didn't do it before I was forced into this sham. If I had, I would be with her now, and Sookie would be my wife and Queen."

"You would have made her your Queen?" Freyda said with disgust. "You would give to a human what you deny me?"

"That and a whole lot more; there isn't anything I wouldn't give her," Eric admitted. "I would give her her heart's desire."

Freyda stared at Eric, aghast as his words hit her hard. _Her heart's desire. _Those little words held so much weight as she realized despite the twelve years passed, Eric was still in love with the girl. In an attempt to rationalize to herself, Freyda dismissed their relationship as nothing more than infatuation, even after seeing them together at Rhodes, where she first saw Eric's passion and coveted it for herself, but she refused to believe it was anything else. She couldn't accept Eric could love someone if he didn't love her. But as she heard Eric say he would have made Sookie his Queen she had no choice but to. She had to accept the truth: it wasn't infatuation that Eric held for Sookie, but love. It was at that moment she realized what everyone else knew all along: he would never love her, and he would never treat her with anything other than scorn and contempt. She would never be his Queen.

Freyda felt her anger grow as the realization settled over her. He humiliated and disrespected her for a human. She foolishly believed his behavior was due to Appius forcing him into the marriage, for her arranging the contract without his knowing, but now she knew the truth. Freyda remembered every incident over the last twelve years, all the insults, the scornful looks, every time he denied her and taken a whore in her place. All the times she walked in on him fucking one of her pets or guards; the images flashed through her mind, the laughter and the jeering. The time she walked into her throne room and saw a dignitary from California on her knees sucking his cock, while he lounged in her throne.

Her anger coiled as she remembered every humiliation. Grabbing a wrought iron candlestick, she hurled it at him.

"Careful, that could have hit me," Eric said as he sidestepped it.

Freyda let out a primal scream as she flew at him, her hands bent into claws. She attacked with a fury of blows, her anger snapping as his laughter filled the room while he held her off. She hissed and spat at him and tried to strike him. As quick as her anger came, it went, and Freyda tore herself away from him. She glared at Eric hatred burning brightly in her eyes.

"I will make you pay for this," she swore.

"I've been paying for this for the last twelve years," Eric snorted.

"You think this is a joke?" Freyda asked.

"A very bad one," Eric answered.

"You've no idea who you're dealing with," Freyda said. "I will make you suffer for what you have done. You won't walk away from this unscathed."

"Maybe not," Eric conceded, "but when it is all over, I will walk away and I will never look back."

"Don't be so sure, Viking," Freyda threatened. "I still have allies. I have bound you to my side once and I can do it again."

"The only person who could ever bind me to you is ash in the wind," Eric replied. "You have nothing. You are nothing."

"I am a Queen!" Freyda shouted.

"You are a laughing stock," Eric taunted. "You hold no respect. Other monarchs openly mock you. Your own child disrespects you by spreading her legs for me. The only reason no one has attacked you is because they like seeing you humiliated. Now if you will excuse me, I shall take my leave."

Not giving her a chance to reply, Eric sauntered out of her chambers, down the corridors, and out of her palace. He did not want to get caught up in any more drama that night.

* * *

I will be posting around this time every day. Although tomorrow might be a bit late, due to True Blood. Although if it is I will post two chapters to make up for it. I have no idea if how Eric consummated the marriage would be acceptable given the supernatural rules/canon, but for the sake of this story, it is fine.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Thank you to my beta, Ashensunset. Thank you also to everyone who is reading, I'm sorry if I haven't answered all your reviews personally, but I do appreciate them. To the guest reviewer who asked about if I would be switching between points of view, the answer is, yes.

Warning: This chapter contains torture and femslash. If that's not your thing, hit the back button now.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

As Eric's words washed over her, Freyda felt her anger returning. She knew there was a truth to what he said. His actions made her a laughing stock; she knew Eric hadn't been happy when she made the contract with Appius – no one, regardless of their age, was happy to be under the control of another – but she foolishly believed she could temper Eric. She had also been counting on Appius' help; between the two of them she was confident of her abilities to tame the Viking, or rather, exploit his reputation for her own gain. With Eric by her side, Freyda believed she could put in a stronger showing and maybe claim more power. What she not expected was for Appius to meet the true death and Eric to be so hostile leaving her with no way to control him.

Freyda cursed Appius for meeting the true death and leaving her without a way to control Eric. If he had still been there all it would have taken was a simple command for Eric to become the perfect husband and protector she was promised. Although some children will always find away to disrespect their Maker, she realized as she turned to face her own child. As she stared at Marietta, she recalled the scene she walked in upon; she could still hear the sound of flesh slapping together as Eric pounded into her and Marietta's cries for more.

"Mistress, please," Marietta begged seeing the murderous look in Freyda's eyes.

Freyda let out a scream as she flew at her child; grabbing her by the hair, she yanked her to her feet and backhanded her, before throwing her across the room. Freyda watched with grim satisfaction as Marietta crashed into a glass display cabinet. Her whimpers of pain brought a smile to Freyda's face as shards of glass cut into her child's naked flesh. Leaping across the room, Freyda tackled Marietta to the floor. She pushed down hard on her back, grinding Marietta's body into the glass; the smell of her child's spilt blood was driving her crazy. Wrapping her hand into Marietta's hair, Freyda pushed her child's face down, rubbing her face on the glass-covered carpet, tearing it open.

Flipping her over, Freyda straddled Marietta's waist, uncaring of the glass that cut into her knees. Picking up a large shard, she slid it over Marietta's collarbone and down the valley between her breasts, before circling her right nipple. She watched the blood pouring from the wounds as she sliced her open. Bending forward, Freyda lapped at it, taking her child's blood into her. Her fangs snapped down, and she scraped them over Marietta's breast.

Wrapping her hand around the shard of glass, blood trickled as the glass tore her own hand open. Clutching it tightly, she raised it above her head. She watched as her blood dripped onto Marietta's breast; her eyes fixed on the growing pool of blood.

"Mistress, please."

"Are you begging, child?" Freyda sneered. "You do seem to be good at that. You begged my husband to fuck you like a dirty little whore."

"It wasn't like that, Mistress," Marietta cried.

"But it was. Did you think you'd get away with it? That I wouldn't find out?"

"Mistress, please. I was seduced by his charms."

"Don't lie to me!" Freyda shouted. Bringing the shard of glass down hard, she plunged into Marietta's breast, twisting it, gouging at her flesh, trying to cause as much pain as possible.

"AHHH!" Marietta screamed.

Freyda dug it into Marietta's chest, tearing her open, her blood coating her hands. Jumping off her, Freyda grabbed Marietta by the hair and dragged her to her feet. Marietta stumbled in her Maker's hold as she was pulled across the room. Throwing her on the bed, Freyda climbed on after her and straddled her back; she rubbed Marietta face in the mess left behind from her and Eric's coupling.

"You think you can fuck my husband in my bed and get away with it?" Freyda screamed.

"No!" Marietta cried.

Turning her over, Freyda pinned Marietta's arms above her head and glared down at her hatefully. "I should end you for this you treacherous little whore."

"Forgive me, please," Marietta begged. "I was weak; I couldn't resist."

"Forgive you?" Freyda sneered.

"Please," Marietta pleaded. "I will do anything you ask."

"You will anyway," Freyda replied. "But you have proven you can't be trusted."

"I can, I swear. I promise I won't ever betray you."

"You already have."

"I will make it up to you. I will help you gain vengeance on Northman. We will make him pay."

"Now, why would you wish to make Eric pay?" Freyda asked.

"He humiliated you, my Queen."

"He's been doing that for the last twelve years and that didn't stop you spreading your legs for him like the cheap whore…." A cruel smile spread over Freyda's face. "You thought he cared about you."

"I…I…" Marietta stuttered, unable to deny it.

Mocking laughter filled the room as Freyda stared down at her child. "Poor deluded little Marietta," she mocked. "You thought you were special. Did you think he'd make you his Queen one day? But instead you found out you were just the latest in a long line of whores. You meant nothing to him. Less than nothing. You were just a hole in which to shove his cock."

"He fooled me," Marietta cried, humiliation coloring her words.

"No, Marietta. You fooled yourself," Freyda countered. "Northman feels nothing for you. You were nothing but a pawn to him, a body to fuck and a way to humiliate me. He used you. He disgraced you. He made you nothing more than a whore. Did you enjoy being his whore?"

"Mistress, please, stop," Marietta pleaded. "I was foolish. I was seduced by his charm."

"He can be charming," Freyda mused, recalling the numerous times she seen him charm a roomful of people. It always irked her to watch him work his charm, as he never directed it at her. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't chain you in silver for the next eighty-eight years?" Freyda asked, turning her attention back to Marietta. "You touched something that is mine."

"I was weak. Whenever I was in his presence, I was overcome by his charm, by his power. I didn't want to betray you my Queen, but I was unable to resist him. He's…he's the devil, Mistress. He caught me in his web."

The words did nothing to douse Freyda's anger; she saw them for what they were: lies to try and soothe her wounded pride. She had to agree with Marietta on one thing though: Eric Northman was the devil. A dangerous glint entered her eyes as her lips curled into a cruel smile. She sworn she would make Eric pay and her treacherous child would help her, and she knew just how to do that. A plan began to form in her head that would bring the Viking to his knees.

"You wish to help your Queen make Northman pay?" she asked as she sat up.

"Yes."

"You will do everything I ask?" Freyda asked, "Well, you'll do everything I ask, regardless if you want to or not."

"I will serve you faithfully my Queen," Marietta replied. "I won't let you down again."

"Maybe I won't silver you after all," Freyda mused. "If you prove to me your loyalty, I may forgive you."

"I will do anything," Marietta assured.

Climbing off her, Freyda stood at the bottom of the bed and stared at Marietta. "Find me the girl," she ordered. "Find me Northman's whore. Find her and I will overlook your treachery."

"It will be my pleasure."

Reaching forward, Freyda grabbed Marietta by the hair, yanked her off the bed and threw her to the floor before sitting down on the edge of it. She eyed her child with contempt as she cowered on the floor. She regretted turning her. She clearly had no loyalty or backbone. She should have stood by her Maker and Queen instead of whoring herself out to Eric.

Freyda could feel the fear in Marietta as she braced herself for what she was going to do to her. Deciding to play with her, "Crawl to me," she ordered, loving the look of humiliation on Marietta's face as she crawled on her hands and knees towards her. Leaning back on her elbows, Freyda spread her legs wide as she lifted her the skirt of her dress. "Now, show me how sorry you are. Please your Mistress."

Freyda let her head fall back as Marietta went to work between her legs. Moans spilled from her lips, but only partly due to Marietta's talented tongue. She would soon turn the tables on the Viking. Soon it would be his head buried between her thighs. Once she had her hands on his whore, Eric would bend to her will. If he wants to keep his precious human safe, he'll do as she said. Freyda's moans grew louder as she thought of all that she'd make Eric do. She'd chain him to her bed and force him to fuck her whenever she saw fit. He would make her his Queen and if he refused, she'd torture Sookie in front of him. She'd chain him in silver and make him watch while she fucked the girl, and then she'd chain her up and make her watch while she fucked Eric. She'd whore his little slut out to anyone who wanted her, and make Eric watch as they defiled her body in anyway they wanted. Freyda screamed as Marietta brought her to completion.

"Eric was right about one thing," Freyda said as she sat up. "You're talented with your tongue. I'll have to put it to use more often. Now go and get cleaned up…Oh, Marietta..."

"Yes, Mistress," Marietta said pausing by the door.

"Don't think for one second I have forgiven you for your betrayal. I may not chain you in silver and beat you like I originally planned, but you will be punished."

"Mistress?" Marietta questioned.

"Seeing how you enjoyed whoring yourself out to Northman, I shall treat you as one. Every night you rise in my palace, you will come to my throne room straight away. Once there, you will remove all your clothing and crawl on your hands and knees to me, and then you will please your Queen in front of everyone. As your Maker, I command you."

"Mistress," Marietta whimpered.

"Also, until you find the girl, you're not allowed any kind of release. You won't allow anyone to touch you sexually, you won't touch yourself, and you won't touch anyone other than me unless I order otherwise. You will also drink nothing but synthetic. Now get out of my sight."

Freyda could feel the hatred Marietta held for her through their Maker/child bond as she watched her scurry away. She made a note to tighten her control of her wayward child; she wouldn't risk being betrayed by her again. She would use her Maker's command to force obedience from her. She wouldn't let Marietta's silly feelings get in her way. She would get her revenge on them all, all those who laughed at her, those who mocked her, and those who disrespected her. She would make Eric and his bitch child kneel before her. She would have to play it smart as not to tip her hand. She knew Eric would be furious when he found out what she had done. He would react in a typical vampire fashion: with rage and violence, a violence he would direct towards Marietta. Freyda had no qualms about sacrificing her child. She would let Eric destroy Marietta before playing her hand and by the time she did it would be too late. The girl would be hers and Eric would have no choice but to accept her as his one true Queen.

_It's good to be Queen, _Freyda thought as she stretched on her bed.

OoOoO

Four Months Later

"I want to know everything she knows," Eric barked down the phone before disconnecting the call. "Fucking whore," he swore, throwing his phone against the wall before stalking through his royal residence. His guards and donors had the good sense to get out of his way. In the eleven years he had been King, they had never seen him so angry, and none of them wanted to risk getting in his way and becoming a target of that anger.

Eric barged through the door to Pam's room, uncaring of how he might find her. He could tell through their bond she was entertaining, but right then he didn't care if she had her head buried between someone's thighs or if they had their head buried between hers.

"I'll be with you in one moment, Eric," Pam drawled from between the legs of a shapely redhead.

"Now, Pam," Eric growled.

"Really, Eric, I won't be long. Surely you can wait; why don't you get your cock sucked while you wait. Andrea here will do it. Won't you dear?"

"Yes, Master," Andrea moaned, licking her lips.

Stalking forward, Eric grabbed Andrea by the arm and yanked her up. Dragging her to the door, he threw her out before slamming it shut. "When I say now, I mean now," he growled.

"What's crawled up your ass and died?" Pam asked as she turned and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I just heard from my spy at Freyda's," Eric replied pacing back and forth.

"What has the demented harpy done now?" Pam asked with a sigh. She wished Eric would find away to kill her and be done with her once and for all. Having her be a part of their lives for the last twelve years had been eleven years too long. Pam found her amusing for about five minutes. Now she just found her pathetic and undeserving of her maker.

"She is looking for Sookie."

"What?" Pam snarled jumping to her feet. "I'll kill the bitch myself."

Eric smiled at the anger in his child's tone, it didn't matter how many years passed, Pam was still as protective of Sookie as she ever was. His former bonded managed to burrow her way inside of Pam's cold, dead heart – despite Pam's best efforts to stop her.

"According to Christian, Freyda has had Marietta looking for Sookie for months…"

"And he's only just telling us," Pam interrupted.

"He has only just found out," Eric replied, glaring at Pam for interrupting him. "He said Freyda has been more secretive in the last four months than usual, which is a surprise in itself, but she shown no signs that she was up to anything. Other than humiliating Marietta…."

"Because you fucked her," Pam added helpfully.

"Christian only discovered what they were up to this evening as he overheard Marietta reporting to Freyda," Eric continued ignoring Pam's interruption. "She is finding it difficult to locate Sookie."

"I'm not surprised. We couldn't find her when we looked for her," Pam remarked.

"Yes, it seems my Sookie is most skilled at hiding," Eric said proudly.

"Compton is still pouting that he couldn't find her," Pam said smirking.

Eric smiled as he recalled the sour look on the younger vampires face when he returned to Louisiana after one of his searches proved fruitless, years ago. He had actually given up looking for her now.

"But I fear Sookie won't be able to hide for much longer," Eric said his smile slipping into a frown. "Freyda is determined to find her, and sooner or later she will succeed."

"Why now?" Pam asked, "Why is Freyda looking for Sookie now? What caused her to search for her now? Why not ten years ago?"

"That might be my fault."

"Why? What did you do?"

"During my last meeting with Freyda, things got a little heated…"

"When you fucked her child," Pam snarked.

"Stop interrupting me and just listen," Eric growled. "Things got heated after she walked in on me balls deep in Marietta. She demanded that I start treating her as my wife and Queen. She claimed I owed her, that if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be King. So I told her the truth of why I took de Castro's head and throne."

"You told her you did it for Sookie…" Pam paused as she thought about it, knowing her Maker like she did. She groaned as she realized just what he told Freyda. "You told her you wished you did it before you pledged to her, didn't you? You told her you would have made Sookie your Queen." She didn't even need Eric to answer to know he had. "Oh, Eric. How could you be so stupid?"

"Watch your mouth, Pam. Although it was true what I said, I shouldn't have said it," Eric admitted. "But I didn't think Freyda would be foolish enough to go after Sookie. She has shown no interest in her since we pledged." But even as he said it he realized how stupid he had been. In his desperate attempt to move on from Sookie he had blinded himself from the truth that others, like his crazed, humiliated wife, would want her. He never dealt with her loss, choosing to lose himself and his grief in nameless, faceless whores. His pain at losing her had hindered his ability to see the danger others posed from her. It felt like a kick in the gut as Eric realized he had failed Sookie; in his need to humiliate Freyda, he had placed her in danger.

"Because in Freyda's twisted mind, she won. You left Sookie for her…"

"I did not leave Sookie for her. Appius forced me away," Eric interrupted growling.

"That doesn't matter to Freyda. She had you. You were hers: her husband. Yes, you've spent years humiliating her, but she overlooked that because she had you. But now you've told her given the realization that you would make another woman – and a human at that – Queen, when you won't even let her in the same room when you're making plans for your states."

"Because I don't trust her," Eric defended.

"Neither do I," Pam agreed, "and she has no business being part of the running of your states. But she has never accepted that. She thought because she was a Queen and your wife, it was her right to participate and you denied her repeatedly. Now you tell you would allow a human to assist you in ruling your states. I think she's finally realized how much you despise her."

"Only _just_ realized," Eric scoffed. "I have made no secret how I feel about her."

"Fucking her donors, pets, guards, and child is nothing compared to telling her she'll be second to a human forever."

"Second? She doesn't even make the top hundred," Eric said. "Compton rates higher then her."

"You really do hate her," Pam shuddered.

"She forced me to leave Sookie, and now she is hunting her. Hate is not a strong enough word."

"What are you going to do?" Pam asked.

"Find her."

"Eric…"

"Find her, Pam. Use all our contacts, call in old favors, I don't care how you find her. Just do it."

"What of Freyda?" Pam questioned.

"I'll take care of her. I won't allow her to hurt Sookie in any way. Not anymore."

"What of the contract?" Pam asked. "You told me you couldn't have a relationship with Sookie due to it."

"A relationship, Pam: a physical, sexual one. It doesn't say I can't contact her. Freyda can't stop that," Eric explained. "I will be damned if I do nothing while Freyda hunts Sookie."

"Eric…"

"Find her, Pam," Eric ordered. "Find my wife."

* * *

Next chapter we check in with Sookie and find out what she's been doing and where she is. If you're good, I'll post it tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Here you go as promised another chapter. The response for this has really blown me away, so thank you so much. Thank you to my wonderful beta Ashensunset. She is a wonderful lady. I sent her this story complete twice and she got it back to me in a week both times, and just so you know, it's over 60,000 words.

We finally get to check in with Sookie in this chapter. I'll give you a small warning, she's changed quite a bit.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Seven Months Later

After seven months of false trails and dead ends, Pam was beginning to think they were never going to find Sookie. They used every resource they had, called in countless favors and all they discovered was that Sookie left Bon Temps the morning after Eric married Freyda and caught a flight out of the country. Her old car had been found in an airport's parking lot, and with a bit of ingenuity Pam learned that Sookie had been on a flight to Europe – London of all places – but that's where the trail ended. There was no evidence she had left London, but then there was also no evidence she was still there. Pam briefly entertained the thought Sookie was dead, but Eric had shot that idea down immediately. He hadn't told her how he knew, but he had told her she wasn't dead. Pam thought it was just wishful thinking on his part, refusing to accept what the facts were telling him, but when she discovered Sookie had been in touch with Jason, she had been forced to concede he was right. Sookie Stackhouse was still alive and well, and frustratingly out of their reach.

Pam glamoured Jason personally in hopes of finding out where Sookie was, but even he didn't know. He would receive sporadic emails from her, but they would never tell him where she was or what she was doing, and despite their best efforts, they couldn't trace them. There was enough in the emails to prove it was Sookie sending them, but nothing they could use to track her down. The birthday and Christmas presents she sent never had a return address on them, and each time she would send them from a different place. Sookie would send Jason, his wife, and children Christmas presents every year, but each one was wrapped separately and they all would have a different postal mark on them. Pam had gotten a serious laugh when she realized Sookie actually sent some presents from Oklahoma, knowing how bad Freyda wanted to get her hands on Sookie. The knowledge Sookie had been in her state without her knowing amused Pam to no end, but it had made Eric furious.

"Where are you, my little telepathic friend?" Pam whispered as she sifted through all the Intel they had gathered in the last seven months, which wasn't a lot. She was sure she was missing something. There was no way Sookie had hidden herself so efficiently, not from them.

Pam was pulled from her musings by the sound of her phone ringing. "Speak," she said, answering it.

"I've found her," a male voice said.

"Are you sure it's her this time?" Pam asked. " Last time you claimed to have found her, it was a thirty year old mother of four."

"It's her; I'm sure of it."

"I'm going to need more than just your word."

"I've just emailed you a picture of her," he replied.

Logging into her email, Pam clicked on the message he had just sent, her eyes widening as she looked at the picture.

"Sookie," she whispered. There was no doubt in Pam's mind it was her. She looked slightly different to how she remembered: her hair looked lighter and longer, and she had aged really well, Pam thought. It looked like she had only aged five years in nearly thirteen.

"It's her then?"

"Yes."

"What do you want me to do?" he asked. "Do you want me to approach her?"

"No. Send me everything you have, but keep your distance. Keep an eye on her and don't lose her, but do not go near her. I don't want you to spook her."

"Fine, I'll…" he started but Pam disconnected the call before he could say any more. Printing off the picture, she picked it up before rushing out the room in search of Eric.

She found him in his office, with a brunette on her knees between his legs, sucking his cock. He had one hand buried in her hair holding her in place while his other tapped away on his keyboard.

Glancing up from the screen, Eric eyed Pam; he could tell whatever she wanted was important. He could see the urgency on her face, not to mention the array of emotions coming through their bond. She had interrupted him for a reason.

Looking down at the brunette who was still sucking him off, Eric realized he wouldn't have time to indulge himself fully with her. Which was actually okay with him; she had shown little talent. He wondered briefly how she had managed to become a part of his donor pool. Eric shook that thought off as he tangled both of his hands in her hair. Holding her head still, he lifted his hips and thrust his cock into her mouth hard and fast, uncaring of the gagging sounds she made. Saliva spilled from her lips, coating his cock, making it even easier to thrust his cock into her mouth. His hips blurred as he fucked her mouth. Shooting his seed down her throat, he held her head to him, making her drink every drop and lick him clean before pushing her away.

"Leave," he ordered as he tucked himself back in his pants.

"Is that it?" the brunette asked.

"Yes," Eric growled. "Disappointing as that was, I don't want to find out how bad you are at the rest."

Tears pooled in the brunettes eyes as she climbed shakily to her feet.

"Can't even get a decent blowjob these days," Eric said as he watched her run out of his office.

"You're a cruel bastard," Pam teased.

"What is it Pam?" Eric asked once he was satisfied they were alone.

"We've found her."

"Sookie? Where?" Eric asked.

"She's in Sweden," Pam replied as she handed him the photo.

Taking the picture from Pam, Eric stared at it, his eyes rimming with red as he got the first look of Sookie in almost thirteen years. He traced a finger over her face. He swore she was even more beautiful than he remembered.

"Make the arrangements," he ordered, not taking his eyes off the picture.

"Eric, what about your states and Freyda?" Pam questioned.

"I don't care," Eric admitted. "I want to rise tomorrow night in Sweden. Make it happen."

"I'll get Thalia and Maxwell to run the states while we're away," Pam said, knowing it was pointless to argue with him. Seeing him raise an eyebrow, she added, "You don't think you're going with out me. I want to see Sookie."

Eric smiled at his child but said nothing, his eyes settling on the picture again. He could wait to set eyes on her in the flesh again. He had missed her more than he ever thought possible. He didn't remember missing his human children as much as he missed Sookie. As he stared at the picture, he wondered what Sookie was doing then.

OoOoO

Stockholm, Sweden

"Oh God!" Sookie moaned, opening her legs wider. Resting her head on the back of the sofa, she dug her fingers into the cushions beside her. Her hips bucked as the young man went to work between her legs. "That's it, just like that," she instructed. "Use your fingers."

Blocking out all sounds around her, Sookie focused solely on the feeling of his lips wrapped around her clit. Her head thrashed side to side as her orgasm slowly built. Cupping her breasts over the thin tank top she wore, she pinched her nipples hard, little jolts of pain shooting through her body. "Yes!" she cried. Dropping one hand to his hair, she pushed his face against her sex as she bucked her hips wildly fucking his face.

"Don't stop. Don't you dare stop."

Sookie's moans filled the room as the young man continued to thrust his fingers into her as he sucked her clit. She could feel her orgasm approaching, her stomach clenching in almost pain, her eyes fluttering shut as she bit her lip. "God, yes," she panted as she came, flooding his mouth with her release.

Sookie flopped back onto the sofa, a slight sheen of sweat coating her skin. "Mmm," she purred as her bliss washed over her. The sound of shuffling brought her down. Opening her eyes, she stared at the young man who had just gone down on her, "What?"

"I…er…" he stuttered.

"Why are you still here?" Sookie asked as she pushed her short denim skirt down, covering her sex.

"I thought…"

"And that was your first mistake," Sookie interrupted. She let out a sigh at his sad puppy dog look. "You thought I was going to fuck you," she said, having read what he thought from his thoughts. "Sorry kid, you're out of luck. Now get out."

"But…" he spluttered. "You brought me back here. I went down on you."

"And I enjoyed it immensely. You're very talented. But I never promised you anything," Sookie said as she stood up. Straightening her skirt, she moved round her office. "You knew what to expect when you agreed to come back here. I told you what I wanted, and you were more than willing."

"So that's it," he fumed. "I get you off and get nothing in return."

Eyeing the wet patch on the front of his jeans, "It looks like you did something out of it," Sookie chuckled.

"You're a fucking tease," he spat.

"To be a tease I would've had to promise you something, and I didn't. I told you exactly what I wanted and I offered you nothing in return," Sookie said as she pulled a clean pair of panties out of her desk draw and slipped them on. "Now, get out. Go have fun in the bar. I'm sure you'll find some pretty little thing willing to suck your cock."

"Bitch," he spat as he stormed out her office, slamming the door behind him.

Sitting down in the chair behind her desk, Sookie closed her eyes and rested her head against the headrest. The sounds of the bar began to slowly encroach in on her. She could hear the bartender serving drinks, the waitresses flirting with the customers; the sounds that used to torment her now grounded her. They reminded her who she was and where she was from. She followed the young man she just had in her office through the bar back to his friends. She 'listened' in as he boasted about his encounter with her, exaggerating it greatly. Sookie laughed as she 'heard' bragging to them how she had sucked him off, before he had fucked her from behind, bent over her desk.

She smiled as she thought how his story would add to what the others told about her. She had quite the following in the area; the bar was often packed with men who were dying for a taste of what laid between her thighs. Most nights she would sit in the bar and listen to the customers fantasize about her. In their thoughts she could see what they wanted to do to do, what they wanted her to do to them. She could see them all wondering who, if any, she would take that night. The thoughts that use to disgust her now amused her. When she let it, it reminded her of Eric. She would see him sitting on his throne, looking out over the masses as the fangbangers clamored for his attention. In her more bitter moments, she considered installing a throne in the bar, but she always dismissed the idea, wanting as few reminders about Eric as possible. It was bad enough he haunted her dreams; she didn't need to see a physical reminder.

Sookie tried her hardest not to think of Eric, and for the most part she succeeded. She managed to build a wall around the part where he resided, but there were times when the wall crumbled and she would be flooded with thoughts of him. That always left her feeling bitter – and other things she didn't like. The years since she had left Bon Temps hadn't been easy on her. Her whole life changed that day and Sookie was sorry to say it wasn't the last time. She had been to hell and back countless times in the last decade. She had faced things no one ever should, things that made the torture at the hands of Neave and Lochlan look like child's play, but she had survived them and come out even stronger, if not colder. She had lost her innocence and naïveté. It was funny to her that after escaping the vampires, she now acted more like one than anything else.

As she thought about all that had changed, Sookie wondered what those she left behind would think of her now. Would they welcome her back into their lives? Would they blame vampires for all she had been through? Would Sam still think she was a sweet little girl if he knew she had a different man nearly every night? Would it change his opinion of her if he knew she preferred casual sex to relationships? That she hadn't had anything more than a one-night stand in nearly seven years? Would Niall think she'd still make a good broodmare, knowing she'd killed his son? Would Bill still think she needed protecting if he knew how many vampires and fairies she killed? Would any of them recognize her now? Would they still think they had the right to control her and make her decisions for her?

_Would you even know me any more, Eric? _Sookie asked wordlessly.

* * *

You'll get to see why Sookie has changed so much in the next few chapters. I'll only be posting one chapter tomorrow and before you say anything, it is so I can post two on Wednesday. You'll see why then, but you'll probably want to kill me tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **First up, thank you to my wonderful beta Ashensunset. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/read/alerted/favourited my story. I know I keep saying it, but I really can't believe the response I'm getting. I'm glad you're all intrigued by the new Sookie, I'll admit I enjoyed writing her. As you can probably guess the dialogue between the OoOoO and in italics are direct quotes from the books.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

The sun hadn't even set when Eric rose the next night. As he grew older, the sun's hold on him had begun to diminish. He still couldn't go out in it and he never would be able to, but he could withstand its pull for a few hours after sunrise and wake a few hours before sunset. Few knew of this: only Pam and the vampires who had reached his age or older.

Thoughts of Sookie filled his mind as he waited for the sun to set; she consumed his thoughts of late, much like she did when she lived in Bon Temps. He let their shared history play over in his mind as the sun set slowly.

OoOoO

"_Hi, I'm Sookie Stackhouse."_

"_Aren't you sweet?"_

"_Not especially."_

OoOoO

"_By the way, I haven't heard an 'I'm sorry' from you yet."_

"_I am sorry that the maenad picked on you."_

"_Not enough."_

"_Angelic Sookie, vision of love and beauty, I am prostate that the wicked evil maenad violated your smooth and voluptuous body, in an attempt to deliver a message to me."_

OoOoO

"_You trust me?_

"_Yes."_

"_That's…crazy, Sookie."_

"_I don't think so."_

OoOoO

"_I don't like having feelings."_

OoOoO

"_I would bring you to my side. I will share everything I have with you. Every vampire who owes me fealty will honor you."_

OoOoO

Every little thing repeated in his head, from their first meeting to their last. As he replayed their goodbye, Eric wondered how he was going to approach her. He never had a problem speaking to Sookie in the past, but now he found himself feeling nervous.

Eric had no idea what her life was like in the years since they last saw each other, but he thought she couldn't have changed much. Sookie was still Sookie no matter where she was. Closing his eyes, Eric centered himself blocking out the sounds of the city. He could feel Pam, still dead for the day and not far from him. He wondered who had missed Sookie more: him or Pam? Despite her snarky attitude, he knew Pam had missed Sookie fiercely; in many ways, Sookie had been Pam's only friend and it had hurt her greatly when they had broken contract.

Although there was nothing in his contract to Freyda that said Pam couldn't keep in contract with Sookie, Pam couldn't do it. She couldn't be around both of them when they couldn't be around each other. She knew she would have been asked how the other was doing constantly, and she didn't want to see either of them hurting worse than they already were. So Pam decided she could only stay around one of them, and with everything Pam, it was vampires first. She had cut all contact off with Sookie; her last message to her old friend being Eric had pledged to Freyda – something Pam had felt guilty about. Even though she tried to hide it from Eric he could tell.

Eric knew Pam regretted cutting Sookie out of her life so completely, more so when she disappeared without a trace. Neither of them expected that; they had both known she would leave. Eric had advised her to, knowing she wouldn't be safe from de Castro if she stayed. But they both assumed she would move to either Texas or Mississippi, seeking protection with either Stan Davis or Russell Edgington. Instead, she had disappeared completely, leaving a huge gap in both their lives.

As soon as the sun set, Eric unlatched the travel coffin and jumped out. He ran his eyes over the hotel room before crossing it to the mini fridge and grabbing a bottle of blood. He heated the blood while he checked his emails on his cell phone. Satisfied everything was okay in his Kingdom, Eric grabbed the warmed blood and downed the vile liquid, throwing the empty bottle in the trash as Pam opened the lid of her coffin.

"Why are you drinking that sludge?" Pam asked as she climbed out of her coffin as gracefully as possible.

"Because I was hungry," Eric answered like it was obvious.

"Then order a donor."

"I don't want a donor."

"Mmm," Pam replied smirking at him.

"What?" Eric asked sensing her amusement.

"Nothing."

"Pam," Eric growled.

"I just find it amusing that you haven't even seen Sookie yet, and you're reverting to old habits. Drinking that synthetic shit instead of getting your fill of a nice, hot, willing donor."

"My not wanting to feed on a donor has nothing to do with Sookie," Eric defended.

"Of course not; you refuse them all the time."

"Maybe I have more important things to do then stick my fangs in some pathetic blood bag."

"Like going to see Sookie."

"That is the whole reason I am here, Pam," Eric growled. "Or did you forget? I am here because she is in danger."

"I haven't forgotten, Eric," Pam replied. "I just don't want you to change who you are. I remember how things changed before, how you wouldn't feed on donors because of Sookie, except the times you were tricked into it by fairy trickery. I didn't like it. I don't want you to go back to that. I didn't like you denying who you were because of Sookie."

"I never denied who I was because of Sookie. Sookie accepted me for who I was – a vampire. But, by all means, bring in a donor, if that what _you_ want. I'll feed on one if it will make _you_ happy. What I want is clearly unimportant as long as _you _get what _you_ want."

"Eric, I didn't… I just…"

"No, Pam. I don't have to explain myself to you," Eric said cutting her off. "I chose not to get a donor tonight because _I _didn't want to. It had nothing to do with Sookie or you."

"Eric, I'm just concerned. I don't want…"

"Again Pam, _you _want, not me."

"I just remember how things were with Sookie before, when you were together."

"So do I, Pam," Eric said. "She made me happy – happier than I had ever been before. She made you happy, too. Why are bringing this up now? You haven't said a word in almost thirteen years."

"Because you'll be seeing her tonight. She wasn't a part of our lives before."

"Pam, she might have not been in our lives, but she was always a part of them," Eric replied. "I never forgot her. I never forgot how I felt about her, and what she meant to me. I couldn't."

Pam stared at her Maker, she always knew he loved Sookie, but up until that point she hadn't really comprehended how much. Time had done nothing to extinguish his feelings for her, she realized. He still loved her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked. She knew they were there to protect Sookie, but she didn't have a clue how they were going to do that.

"Whatever we have to," Eric replied.

"But how?" Pam questioned. "We don't know anything about her any more. We don't know even know if she's here. All Marcus told us was that she was at a bar last night, and I haven't heard from him since."

"She's here."

"Eric, we don't know that," Pam argued.

"I do. She's here, Pam. I know she is," Eric said, his voice filled with confidence. "I can feel her."

"What? How?" Pam spluttered. "Eric, that's not possible. Sookie broke the bond."

"I know she did. But I know what I feel, and I feel Sookie."

"How's that even possible?"

"I don't know," Eric admitted. "I just know I can."

"Are you sure?" Pam questioned. "Are you sure it's Sookie you're feeling?"

"Positive," Eric answered. "I remember how she felt. It's definitely her. She's here, in the city."

Pam wasn't sure what to say. Part of her wondered if Eric really could feel Sookie, but the other part wondered if he only thought he could, like phantom pain. But if he could, and was feeling her, what did that mean? Sookie had broken the bond before she learned of the whole Freyda thing – something that had infuriated Eric. Pam remembered convincing Eric that killing the witch would be a bad idea, and Sookie would likely never forgive him if he did.

Although, to be honest, she had been tempted to kill Amelia herself for the part she played in breaking the bond, a temptation that had only grown stronger after Sookie disappeared. Amelia used Sookie's disappearance as a way to attack Eric; her constant accusations that Eric had done something to Sookie had grated on Pam's nerves. The witch refused to believe Sookie had left of her own free will and not told her about it, despite her leaving a letter for Jason. On more than one occasion, Amelia accused Eric of kidnapping and killing Sookie so he could be free to marry Freyda. She had even gone as far as to report him to the police.

Having enough of Amelia's actions, Pam had dealt with the police before she confronted the witch personally. She had taken great pleasure as she shared a few home truths with her pertaining to her friendship with Sookie. Pam hadn't cared if her words hurt Amelia before leaving her with a little scar on her right cheek – a small reminder not to fuck with her or Eric.

"Can you tell what's she doing? Where she is?" Pam asked finally.

"She's not far away," Eric said, smiling. "I don't know what she is doing though."

"What about what she's feeling?"

"She's feeling apprehensive, pissed off, and a little excited," Eric said.

"Sounds like Sookie," Pam sniggered. "So what's the plan?"

"Go see Sookie."

"That's it?" Pam asked incredulously. "You've had us searching for months, we finally track her down, you blow off your duties as King to fly over here, and your whole plan is just to go and see her?"

"Yes."

"Eric, this is madness," Pam said. "We have no idea what we're walking into. But given Sookie's danger-magnetism, it's likely to be trouble."

"Danger-magnetism," Eric repeated. "Is that even a word?"

"I said it; it's a word," Pam defended.

"No one knows we are here, Pam," Eric said. "Not even Sookie. I only want to speak with her, make sure she is okay and warn her she is in danger from Freyda…"

"What about Freyda?" Pam cut in. "Do you think she doesn't know you're here? She has a spy in your court, as you do hers."

"Yes, but unlike Freyda, I know who her spy is…"

"And you've fucked her," Pam snarked.

"And I have fucked her," Eric agreed.

"You think she hasn't told Freyda where you are, and why?"

"To tell Freyda where I am, she would have to know herself, and that would be difficult, seeing how she is chained in one of the cells at the palace."

"What? When did you do that?" Pam asked.

"I had Thalia throw her in one of the cells and chain her in silver after you told me you had found Sookie. I didn't want her interfering or telling Freyda."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Pam huffed.

"I didn't realize I had to tell you everything I did," Eric replied. "All that matters is that Karen won't be telling Freyda where I am, or why."

"That still doesn't mean we couldn't be walking into trouble without a plan," Pam argued. "This is not like you Eric. You normally have plans, A, B, C, D, E, and, just in case, F."

"What do you suggest, Pam?" Eric asked, frustrated. "I can plan for every contingency, except for the unknown, and that is what this is: the unknown. Despite our best efforts we have no idea what we are walking into. We have spent months researching, plotting, and planning and we still have nothing except the fact that Sookie was at this bar one night ago."

"Let me go first," Pam suggested.

"No," Eric dismissed.

"I can get the layout of the bar. If Sookie's still there, I can get her to meet you somewhere else. Someplace safe."

Eric remembered Sookie's reactions to him using Pam to send messages to him in the past, and it was not favorable. In fact, he seemed to recall Sookie referring to Pam as his flunky once. He didn't think she would like him entering her life again by sending Pam to collect her, and what's more, neither did he. He wanted to see her first. He didn't want to wait for Pam to bring her to him.

"No," Eric said. "I will go to the bar and see if she's there. If she isn't, I will track her down."

"Eric…"

"Enough. The decision has been made," Eric growled, silencing Pam's argument. "What is the name of the bar?"

"Goda Tider."

A smile spread across Eric's face as he heard the name of the bar. He couldn't have hidden it even if he wanted. It was the sign he needed. There was no doubt in his mind now that she was there. She didn't work in the bar; she owned it, he was sure.

"Goda Tider, indeed." Eric said.

"What?" Pam asked even more confused.

"The name of the bar, Pam. It's a hint."

"Goda Tider," Pam repeated the name not understanding.

"What does it mean?" Eric asked.

"Good times," Pam answered automatically, having been forced to learn a modern version of the language Eric spoke when he was human.

"Bon Temps," Eric said. He could see Pam wasn't seeing what he did. She couldn't see the connection to Sookie that he did. "Bon Temps means good times in French and…"

"Goda tider means good times in Swedish," Pam finished smiling as she finally got it. "Sookie."

"Sookie," Eric agreed.

"Everyone always did underestimate her," Pam said.

"And they usually end up the worse for it," Eric replied. "Find out where the bar is Pam."

Pulling out her phone, Pam did a quick search for the bar and found the address. She handed the phone to Eric and waited. She couldn't take her eyes off him as he looked over the details before he handed it back to her. Pam's eyes followed Eric around the hotel room as he picked up his leather jacket and slipped it on.

Staring back at Pam, Eric smiled slightly, "Lets go and see my…. Sookie."

As she followed Eric out the hotel room, Pam hoped they would all survive what was to come.

OoOoO

Sookie eyed the clock on the wall above the bar for the hundredth time, her nerves getting the better of her as she drummed her nails against the table. There was an electricity in the air that was both new and familiar; goose bumps broke out on her arms as the hairs on the back of her neck stood. She could almost taste the anticipation in the air. Her body thrummed with it. She let her eyes sweep over the bar, taking in the many customers. Despite the early hour, the bar was packed; it was almost like they could sense a change in the air and wanted to witness it first hand. Something was definitely coming, and Sookie wasn't afraid of what that something was.

Standing up, Sookie sashayed across the room towards the bar, her hips swaying to the beat of the music hypnotizing a few young men as she went. Pushing to the front of the queue, she signaled the bartender. His eyes smoldered as he placed her usual drink in front of her without her having to ask. Smiling wickedly at him, Sookie took a sip of her drink before dismissing him with a flick of her finger, having no interest in what he offered that night. Turning around, Sookie leant against the bar and closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her. Dropping her shields, she scanned the bar, sneering as all the thoughts of sex invaded her mind. For a minute she pictured herself back at Fangtasia, listening to the disgusting thoughts of the fangbangers as they degraded themselves for a small bit of attention from any vampire who would have them.

Opening her eyes, Sookie grabbed her drink and strolled back to her regular table and sat down, dismissing anyone who approached her. Her attention was drawn to a young man by the bar; she raked her eyes over him in a degrading manner and smirked at the blush that stained his cheek when he noticed her. A quick dip into his head told her he was as innocent as he looked and she had the urge to corrupt him. She was imagining all the sinful, wicked things she could do to him, when a sudden shiver went through her body. Whispers broke out through the bar, and Sookie found herself looking away from the young man; her eyes widened as she saw the six-foot blond sex god by the door.

"Eric," she whispered.

* * *

Please don't kill me for leaving it like that. I know I said I was only going to post one chapter today, but if you're good I'll post another one just before I go to bed. I feel like spoiling you all.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **A big thank you to my beta, Ashensunset. Again, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my story. I'm sorry I'm not answering every review personally, but I do appreciate them.

I'm going to be honest with you; the next few chapters broke my heart when I was writing them. The things Sookie has been through are just heartbreaking. Originally this chapter and the next was just one chapter, but it went over 15,000 words, so I thought it'd be best to split it up.

I haven't mentioned it before, but the title of the story comes from a Def Leppard song of the same night. If you google the lyrics, you'll probably realize why I chose it.

LostinSpace33 tell me today is her birthday. So happy birthday and this chapter is dedicated to you.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Eric stared at the exterior of the bar. Everything told him Sookie was inside, he could feel it deep down inside. For all his searching, he was at a loss at what to do, and he was dismayed to realize he was actually feeling nervous. Eric chuckled at the notion; only Sookie could make him nervous.

Straightening his shoulders, he swallowed down his nerves and put on the face of the cocky, confident King he was. Striding forward, he entered the bar, smirking at the heated looks he received; it didn't matter where he went, he always got the same reaction. He could feel Pam at his back observing all the people inside the bar. The scent of alcohol, sweat, and sex assaulted his sensitive nose, making him sneer. It was a scent he was familiar with, as he used to smell it almost nightly at Fangtasia.

A flash of blonde hair drew Eric's attention to a table at the back of the bar, and he felt his feet push him forward; despite the many blondes in the bar that night, Eric knew this was the one he was looking for, the one that had haunted him for so long. Right then Eric was glad he didn't need to breathe; he knew if he did it would be caught in his throat. His body had the same reaction to her as it always did: it ached to touch her. Everything faded away as he moved nearer – the noise, the scents, the people around him, Pam – all ceased to exist as his eyes fixed on the blonde beauty in the strapless red dress. If his heart still beat, it would have been pounding loudly in his chest as he reached her table. As he stared down at her, the years that separated them slipped away, and he didn't even try to hide his smile.

"Hello, Lover," he greeted.

"Hello, Eric," Sookie replied her tone playful.

"You don't seem surprised to see me," Eric remarked as he let his eyes fall over her. _Gods, she's stunning._

"Should I be?" Sookie asked.

"It has been a while," Eric said.

"Twelve years, eleven months, and twenty-four days. But who's counting?" Sookie replied before flicking her eyes to the blonde standing beside him. "Hello, Pam."

"Sookie," Pam greeted.

"You are looking well," Eric said. "Are you?"

"I'm great," Sookie drawled. "I'd ask how you were, but you're vampires. You don't have varying states of health."

Eric and Pam stared at Sookie as she stared back at them unflinchingly, all of them at a loss at what to say. Tension built between the three of them until it started to seep into those around them. Electricity crackled in the air, making the crowd rowdier than usual.

"This is your bar," Pam said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Yes."

"How long have you owned it?" Pam asked.

"Nearly four years," Sookie answered.

"You have lived here for four years," Eric said.

"Just over five."

Eric and Pam exchanged a look, both of them thinking the same thing: if Sookie had been living in the same place for over five years, why was it so hard to find her?

"You were a hard lady to find, Sookie," Pam said, putting a voice to her thoughts.

"Evidently not that hard, cause here you are," Sookie replied sweeping her eyes over them both. "Why are you here? No…wait," she held up her hand letting out a deep breath as she stood up. "I have a feeling this is a conversation that shouldn't be heard by just anyone. Follow me."

Sookie didn't bother looking back until she reached her office. Throwing the door open, she strolled in, smirking over her shoulder at Eric and Pam who were right on her heels.

Eric let his eyes flick over the office as he entered, taking in the décor that wasn't anything like the things he remembered Sookie liking. There was no warmth to the office, no personal touches; there wasn't anything that told him this was Sookie's office except for her scent. He ignored the other scents he could smell, not wanting to think about why the office smelled like sex. As he looked around he realized the office was quite like his old office at Fangtasia and he wasn't sure what to make of that. Was it just a coincidence, or had Sookie done it deliberately? His eyes widened as they were drawn to a man tied and gagged in the corner.

"I take it he's yours?" Sookie said, smirking as she sat down behind her desk.

"How…" Eric started.

"Word of advice," Sookie cut in. "If you're gonna send someone to look for and spy on me, make sure it's someone whose mind I can't read."

"That's why you weren't surprised to see me," Eric mused. "You knew I was coming."

"Little surprises me these days," Sookie replied truthfully. "But, yeah, I knew he was reporting to you."

"Then why did you do that?" Pam asked pointing in Marcus' direction but making no move to untie him.

"Because, one, I don't like being spied on. I never have," Sookie answered. "And two, you weren't the only one he was reporting to."

"What?" Eric growled. "Who?"

"Well, I've never met her, but from his thoughts. I'd take a guess and say it's your wife."

"Freyda."

"Unless you've married someone else as well. Yeah, her," Sookie said. "Tall, brunette, and a bitch."

"Sounds like Freyda," Pam said with a smirk.

"You betrayed me," Eric growled, advancing on Marcus, who cowered in the corner. "Why?"

"For money," Sookie supplied, knowing Eric was really asking her. "The 'missus' paid him quite handsomely for the information. Oh, and then she fucked him. Something Pam apparently wasn't willing to do, but the wife was more then happy to."

"He double crossed me for money and sex?"

"You seem surprised, Eric," Sookie said. "He's a man, he thinks with his dick."

"Sookie," Eric chided, not liking her crude language.

"Have you switched teams, Sookie?" Pam asked, enjoying her new attitude to the opposite sex.

"Sorry to disappoint you Pam, but no. I still like men."

"Shame," Pam pouted.

"Pam," Eric growled in warning, eying his child before turning his attention back to Sookie. "Has he reported your whereabouts to Freyda?"

"He told Pam and some other woman I was here; it wasn't her, but she is definitely connected to her."

"How do you know? Did he say the name of the other woman?" Eric asked.

"I know because I saw them together in his head. Your wife ordered the other woman to suck him off," Sookie replied distastefully, "but they never spoke her name. She only ever referred to her as _whore_."

_Marietta, _Eric realized.

"How did Freyda even know about him?" Pam asked suddenly. "We kept the search for you very quiet. Few people knew about it."

"Obviously not quiet enough," Sookie snorted.

"How she found out, we will find out eventually, but at the moment we have more pressing matters to worry about," Eric said. "If Freyda knows Sookie is here, it stands to reason that she will soon be on her way here."

"So that's why you're here," Sookie said. "Because of her."

"Because you are in danger," Eric countered.

"When ain't I in danger," Sookie scoffed. "My whole life is just one great danger race. Who's gonna attack the poor telepath next. So tell me, why am I in danger this time, Eric? What does she want?"

"She wants to hurt me," Eric explained. "She is targeting you to get back at me."

"I think she's twelve years too late for that to work," Sookie whispered bitterly.

"Sookie…" Eric began.

"So what did you do? No…you know what, don't tell me, I don't care," Sookie said cutting him off. She let out a sigh of frustration. "This is great: you're back in my life all of five minutes and it's already gone to shit."

"Sookie you must know I didn't want this. I didn't want for her to seek you out," Eric said troubled by her words. "I wanted you to have a good life, free from danger."

"Yeah, but we don't always get what we want, do we? I learned that a long time ago," Sookie replied humorlessly. "So, what... You two decided to fly halfway around the world to protect me. Cause if that's the case it was a wasted trip. I don't need your protection."

"Sookie, I don't think you understand how dangerous Freyda is," Eric said.

"She's insane and has a deep-seated hatred for you," Pam added. "She's crazy. You've never dealt with someone like her before Sookie."

"Cause Neave and Lochlan were nice and sane," Sookie scoffed. "I understand how dangerous she is, she's a vampire Queen, for Christ's sake; you don't get to be that by organizing tea parties and midnight trips to the museum. I'm not underestimating her. I just don't need your protection."

"Sookie, you are being foolish," Eric said, his anger growing at her cavalier attitude. He had forgotten how stubborn she could be.

"Why? Because I won't hide behind you like a damsel in distress?"

"She will kill you!" Eric shouted.

"I think she'll find I'm not that easy to kill; no one's managed it yet and lord knows plenty have tried." Sookie replied, deceptively calm. "Haven't you figured that out yet?"

"Are you really willing to risk your life, instead of accepting my help?" Eric asked. "Are you really that stubborn?"

"I'm not risking my life," Sookie answered. "A lot's changed in the years we've been apart, Eric. I'm not as defenseless as I used to be."

"Maybe not, but you are not strong enough to take on a two hundred year old vampire Queen."

"How do you know that?" Sookie asked. "You don't know me anymore or what I'm capable of. Do you think you're the first person to find me? You think she's the first person to hunt me down with the intention of hurting me in the last decade? You're not, she's not. I've survived a lot in the last twelve years."

"Who found you?" Eric growled, his eyes boring into hers.

"Vampires, fairies, take your pick," Sookie replied dismissively.

"What did they do to you? Did they hurt you?" Eric asked. "Where are they now?"

"Dead," Sookie answered emotionlessly. "Met the true death, dead. Gone onto the Summerlands, dead."

"What did they do to you?" Eric asked again, not missing that she hadn't answered him.

"None of your business," Sookie replied.

"Sookie," Eric whispered.

"No, Eric, just no," Sookie spat, her voice crackling slightly as she remembered the horrors she had faced. "If you wanna know so bad, use your imagination, but I'm not telling you."

Staring at her, Eric realized she wouldn't tell him regardless of how hard he pushed. Knowing that she had suffered over the years caused him blinding pain. He felt a heaviness settle over his chest, and he cursed Appius and Freyda again. He should have been with her, not playing stupid games with a woman he despised.

"Fine, I'll let it go for now," he said. "But it doesn't change the fact that you are in danger. We know Freyda is after you and knows where you are, but we don't know when she will attack. We can move you somewhere safe while we come up with a plan. You should go and pack a bag."

"I'm not leaving," Sookie said stubbornly.

"Sookie."

"No. This is my home," Sookie said uncompromisingly. "I'm not being run off by some deluded vampire Queen, just because she's pissed at you. I've had to leave one home because of all of you, I'm not leaving another."

"You had to leave for your own safety," Pam said joining the conversation. "You were in danger." She had been listening to Eric and Sookie go back and forth, and she had had enough. She wouldn't allow Sookie to put her Maker in danger just because she was stubborn.

"And why was I in danger, Pam?" Sookie asked, refusing to be intimidated by her old friend. "Because of de Castro, because he wanted his own telepathic pet. So yeah, I left to keep myself safe, but then that didn't work out too well for me, and I've got the scars to prove it."

"You're blaming us for that?" Pam asked incredulously.

"No, not at all," Sookie replied. "I'm past the blame game now. Life is what it is. I can't change the past."

"You are still incredibly stubborn," Eric said.

"And you're as high-handed as ever," Sookie retorted. "You turn up here unannounced, tell me I'm in danger 'cause your wife's a raging bitch, and expect me to drop everything and run off with you. That shit didn't wash thirteen years ago and it doesn't now."

"And we all remember how well it turned out last time you refused to listen to me," Eric growled. "You ended up nearly dying, and others did die."

"You bastard," Sookie spat as she stood up. Walking around her desk she stopped in front of him, her fingers itching to slap him.

"Sookie…" Eric started.

"No," Sookie said, pulling away as Eric reached for her. "Don't touch me. You think I've forgotten that? You think I don't feel guilty that Tray, Claudine, and Clancy are dead because of me? I haven't forgotten them, and I never will. Claudine was pregnant for God's sake, so not only did I get her killed, I got her unborn baby killed too."

"Sookie, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Eric said backing up. "I know you haven't forgotten, I shouldn't have said it. I was…"

"Speaking the truth," Pam interrupted.

"Pam!" Eric shouted, rounding on his child.

"No, Eric. She needs to hear it," Pam said, glaring at Sookie. She had missed her friend greatly, but she wasn't going to sugarcoat anything anymore. She needed to know that her actions and decisions had consequences. She wouldn't let her put Eric in or herself in danger, just because she was still stubborn and had yet to grow up.

"I don't need to hear it, Pam. I lived it," Sookie replied refusing to back down. "I know my refusal to go with Eric all those years ago got Tray killed, Claudine and Clancy too. I don't need either or you to remind me of that. I've never forgotten it."

"And here you are doing the exact same thing all over again," Pam said.

"Fuck you," Sookie spat, taking Pam by surprise. "You haven't got a clue what I'm doing. You don't know me anymore. I'm not the same naïve little girl you once knew. A lot's changed since we last saw each other. I've changed. Don't judge me on the person I used to be; I'm not her anymore. The Sookie you knew is gone; she's dead. She doesn't exist anymore."

Something in Sookie's tone caused both Eric and Pam to pause and take a step back. Looking at her, Eric wasn't sure he liked what looked back, gone was the innocence and wonder in her eyes and in its place was a coldness he didn't like one bit. There was a hardness to her now that Eric didn't understand; as he looked at her, he realized she was right. He didn't know her anymore and he hated it. He wanted to know her, to know everything about her. He wasn't sure what to make of this new Sookie, and it pained him to admit it. As he let his eyes fall over her again, he realized in many ways she reminded him of a vampire: the coldness in her eyes, the sense of detachment she had when she looked at those around her. If he hadn't heard her heartbeat and seen her tanned skin, he would have sworn she was a vampire.

"What happened to you?" he asked suddenly.

"I grew up," Sookie replied.

"Apparently not enough," Pam snarked.

"I'll admit I still have some growing to do, I'm only forty. I mean you're a few hundred years old and you still act like a spoilt, entitled brat," Sookie retorted.

"I'm not a…"

"Yeah, you are, Pam," Sookie interrupted. "You can be selfish and cruel, but we're supposed to accept that of you cause you're a vampire, so the rules don't apply to you. Well they do now. I'm not putting up with your shit. Yeah, I'm stubborn and impulsive; not great attributes to have, but they're mine and I own them. So own yours."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Pam growled.

"Nothing's wrong with me. I'm just…" Sookie trailed off a far away look entering her eye in that moment they could see the weight of the last twelve years reflected on her face. "Nothing," she repeated snapping back into the now, "now, if that's all."

"You know that's not all," Eric snarled, "I'm not leaving you… unprotected," he added after a pause.

"You'll have to eventually, 'cause I'm not going anywhere, but you'll have to soon," Sookie said, seeing the puzzled look on his face she smiled bitterly. "By my reckoning you've only got about another six days until you've got to fuck your wife again. Unless you're planning on celebrating your anniversary here."

"I have never celebrated that day. I hate it and all it means," Eric said, firmly staring into her eyes, silently pleading with her to understand what he meant.

Sookie found herself caught in his gaze, unable to look away. She could feel herself drowning in his eyes like she had so many times before, all the pain of the last twelve years drifting away. Tears pooled in her eyes as they silently communicated all what they couldn't put into words. She could feel her defenses start to crumble as she let him back in.

"Here we go again," Pam groaned, breaking them out the trance they were in.

Eric watched in horror as Sookie's defenses snapped back into place and she once again locked him out. In that second he could have killed his child. He glared at Pam, holding back none of his anger. Pam recoiled from his gaze as his anger slammed into her through their bond.

"Why are you even here?" Sookie asked, directing the question to Pam. She schooled her features, hiding what she was feeling, unaware that Eric could feel it as well.

"We told you…"

"Yeah, because I'm in danger," Sookie said. "But, that's why he's here. So did you just decide to tag along for shits and giggles?"

"Of course not," Pam said offended.

"I don't suppose it matters. Like I said: I don't need your help. So you can leave."

"I'm not…"

"Pam, leave," Eric ordered, flicking his eyes towards her.

"Eric," Pam said, hurt coloring her tone.

"Go back to the hotel and get yourself a donor," Eric said softening his tone. "Let me speak to Sookie alone."

"Yes, Master," Pam replied.

"Pam," he called out and waited for her to face him. "Take him with you," he pointed to Marcus. "Find out everything he told Freyda."

"Yes, Master," Pam repeated, making Eric groan as he watched her pick Marcus up.

"I'm going to pay for that later," Eric said as Pam walked out the door.

"You don't have to," Sookie said as she sat down behind her desk again, putting some distance between them. "You can leave with her."

"I am not leaving."

"You will eventually. I mean even if you didn't have to go and fuck your wife. You've still got a kingdom to run," Sookie let out a humorless laugh as a look of shock spread over Eric face. "What, wasn't I supposed to know about that?"

"How…"

"Do I know," Sookie finished for him. "You'd be surprised at what I know these days. I know you're King of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Nevada. I know you took de Castro's head in a bloody coup about ten months after I left. And I also know that if you'd have done if before you married her, _you _could have annulled the contract."

Eric could hear the bitterness in her voice, the pain in the bond told him she was hurting despite how she was acting. He could feel the ache in her chest as she spat the words at him, "Sookie, you can't think I waited on purpose." His eyes widened as he realized that was exactly what she thought. "I didn't…"

"It doesn't matter what I think now," Sookie said with a shrug.

"It does," Eric said firmly. "I didn't wait until I was married to Freyda to kill him. I didn't even think about it until after the ceremony. I didn't kill de Castro because I wanted to become King."

"So that was just a bonus."

"I don't want to be King, I never did. I can't wait for the day I can give up my throne."

"So why are you King, Eric?" Sookie asked.

"Because of you," Eric answered truthfully.

"Me," Sookie whispered.

"I killed de Castro because I knew as long as he was still alive he would be a threat to you," Eric told her. "I would not let him get his hands on you. I took the throne to keep you safe."

"But I'm not safe, Eric," Sookie replied tiredly. "I never have been."

"And I am sorry for that."

"I don't want your apologies, Eric. I just want…" Sookie trailed, her voice filled with suppressed pain.

"What to you want, Sookie?" Eric asked, his tone soft and low, almost as if he was scared he would spook her if he spoke too loud.

"It doesn't matter what I want," Sookie said. "I learned a long time ago that I can't have what I want. So I just make do with what I've got."

"You shouldn't have to make do," Eric told her honestly. "I tried to find you," he said suddenly changing the subject. "After I killed de Castro. I wanted to tell you it was safe for you to return to Bon Temps, but I couldn't find you. I tracked you as far as London and then the trail went cold."

"You should have asked Bill," Sookie said.

"Compton," Eric spat. "He found you?"

"Yeah, didn't he tell you?"

"No, he claimed he didn't know where you were, that he couldn't find you," Eric replied angrily.

"Bill lied? Well, that's a surprise," Sookie snorted.

"I will kill him," Eric threatened, anger boiling in his blood. He had believed Bill when he said he didn't know where Sookie was and couldn't find her. The knowledge that he had found her and said nothing caused blinding rage to build up in him. From the little she had said, Eric suspected Sookie had suffered greatly, and if his suspicions to what extent were proven to be correct, Eric would make Bill pay. While he might not have been able to be with her, he could have made sure she was safe and secure. "When did he find you?"

"The first time he found me would have been about fourteen months after I left Bon Temps."

"_First_ time?" Eric asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I was living in Manchester at the time, working in a bar when Bill turned up one night. He gave me his usual spiel about how he loved me and how I wasn't safe on my own and how he would protect me."

"You didn't believe him?"

"I rarely believe what Bill says," Sookie replied, "not that he ever told me much. At that point he didn't even tell me de Castro was dead. He led me to believe he was still alive – or undead, rather – and was still after me. He never said it outright, but he certainly implied it."

"I will kill him," Eric repeated his earlier threat. He always knew Bill was selfish, all vampires were to some degree, but allowing Sookie to believe de Castro was still among the undead and after her just to cement himself back in her life was low even for him. "And how did he plan on protecting you?" he already had an idea on Bill's plan, he just needed Sookie to confirm it, so he knew how bad he was going to hurt Bill.

"He strongly suggested I form a blood bond with him," Sookie answered.

"Strongly suggested?"

"Mmm, more like tried to frighten me into it," Sookie admitted. "He kept reminding me how much danger I was in and how I'd been hurt in the past. He gave me the old, by vampire law no one would be able to touch me and I'd be safe. I reminded him that vampires rarely follow their own rules; Victor and de Castro were proof of that. He wasn't happy when I refused and when he tried to force the issue, I told him you were the only vampire I would ever bond to. He didn't like that one bit."

"Did he hurt you?" Eric asked. If he had, Eric wouldn't just punish him, he'd send him to meet the true death.

"No. Not physically, at least," Sookie replied, sadness creeping into her voice. "But he took great pleasure in telling me about you, how you were back to your old ways and fucking everything in sight. He was almost giddy when he told me you were taking four or five different women a night."

"Sookie, I'm…"

"A vampire, I know," Sookie finished dismissively. It wasn't the first time she heard that argument and frankly she thought it was a cop-out. "Fucking and feeding is hardwired into your very being. I didn't expect you to remain celibate. God knows I haven't."

"You have been with others?" Eric growled.

"More than I care to remember," Sookie answered truthfully, she bit back a crack about not being able to blame her actions on being a vampire, "but that's not really any of your business. Just like how many you've fucked is none of mine."

Knowing others had touched Sookie drove Eric crazy, he could see them in his head: nameless, faceless men touching, kissing her, making love to her, holding her and he hated it. But he knew she spoke the truth: it wasn't any of his business. He had no right to expect her to deny the touch of another, especially when he hadn't. He had certainly taken his fair share of women over the years.

"You didn't bond with Compton?" he asked hoarsely.

"No, I told him straight I wouldn't. I wouldn't take his blood or give him mine."

"What happened next?"

"Bill did his usual thing and ignored me," Sookie replied bitterly. "He said we'd talk about bonding later after I finished work and had a chance to think about it."

"Did you speak to him later?"

"Nope. Well, not for another year anyway," Sookie said, smiling slightly. "As soon as Bill left, I quit my job, went back to the place where I was staying, packed a bag, and got the first flight I could out of the country."

"Where did you go?" Eric asked.

"Spain. I spent about three months there topping up my tan before moving on."

"When did Bill find you next?"

"It was almost a year later," Sookie remembered. "I was living just outside of Paris, working in a little café when he turned up again. He was angry that I had taken off like I had. He'd been furious, accusing me of being childish and running away from my problems." Sookie chuckled, "He didn't like it when I told him he was the only problem I was running away from. I think that's when he started to realize I wasn't going back to him, and that I wouldn't bond with him. He didn't give up trying, though. And he hated it when he realized I was still in…" Sookie trailed off closing her eyes, not wanting to finish that sentence. Shaking away the thoughts she didn't want to dwell on, she opened her eyes. "He couldn't accept that I wasn't in love with him anymore, or didn't want to. He called me a fool, said I was being stupid, and then he dropped the little bombshell about you being King."

"Sookie…"

"I didn't believe him at first," Sookie said talking over him. "I mean I knew you never wanted to be King, so he had to be lying. But I soon realized he wasn't. He went to great pains to tell me you were King of all three states and aligned with Oklahoma, and then he told me all about how if you'd taken the throne before you pledged to Oklahoma, you could've annulled the contract. You wouldn't believe how happy he was to drop that little bombshell. I think it was his revenge for you making him tell me about the real reason he came to Bon Temps. It was just a shame you weren't there to witness it."

"Sookie, I swear. I didn't wait on purpose," Eric said. "I didn't even think about it until after the ceremony. If I had realized it sooner I would have killed him, I swear. And Compton lied about one thing."

"Just one, what's that?" Sookie asked uncaring.

"I am not aligned with Oklahoma," Eric said firmly.

"But you're married."

"I pledged to her before I took the crown. It wasn't a royal marriage like Sophie-Anne and Threadgill, or Russell and Bartlett Crowe. We weren't marrying to align our states. I had no power when I was forced to marry her, and after I became King, I refused to align my states with her. She is not my Queen – not in Louisiana, Arkansas, Nevada, or Oklahoma."

"Can you even do that?"

"I'm King, I can do anything I want," Eric said arrogantly. "Freyda will never be my Queen, Sookie, never."

"No, she's not your Queen, she's just your wife," Sookie replied sadly.

"I wish I could change that," Eric told her truthfully.

"But you can't. I know that, I accepted it a long time ago."

"Did you?"

"I didn't have much choice, Eric," Sookie replied. "You married her; I had to."

There wasn't a lot Eric could say to that, she was right. She didn't have a choice he had married her. It might not have been his choice, but he had done it. Sitting across from Sookie, Eric called himself a fool, he should have been smarter and killed de Castro after they had dealt with Victor. He should have killed Freyda when she demanded the contract be honored. He could have claimed Oklahoma as a spoil of combat, much like de Castro had done when he killed Sophie-Anne. He might have had to face trial, but it would have been worth it if it meant he could have stayed with Sookie.

"What happened next with Bill?" he asked, returning to his earlier topic.

"Then he finished telling me how childish I was, and all about your new position, and trying to get me to bond with him again. I made it very clear that I wouldn't ever go back to him, that I didn't trust him, and then I told him when it came to the threats I faced he wasn't capable of protecting me, he never had been. I reminded him of all the danger I got into when we were together and how it was you who always protected me, not him. I finally told him to leave me alone."

"Did he listen?"

"Does he ever?" Sookie huffed. "Bill had set himself up in the role of a white knight and nothing I said was gonna change that. He couldn't understand – didn't want to understand – that I didn't want a white knight, and if I did he wouldn't be it. Anyway, when I realized he wasn't gonna leave me alone, I did what I do best…I ran again. I was gone before he even rose the next night. You'd have thought he'd have learnt that lesson the last time."

"What finally made him leave you alone?" Eric asked recalling the time when Bill stopped looking for her. It would have been almost nine years ago, he had returned to Louisiana after one of his searches more dejected then ever. He never mentioned why, but after that he never searched for her again. In fact he rarely left the state these days.

"He didn't like what he found the next time he found me," Sookie replied.

"What did he find?" Eric asked, unsure if he wanted to know himself.

"My husband."

"Your husband," Eric said, scarcely believing what he heard. He had to have misheard her. She couldn't be married, not his Sookie. His eyes flicked down to her hand, searching for a ring. He felt the tightness in his chest loosen when he didn't see one, but he reminded himself that didn't mean anything. She had never worn a ring when they were married, not that he had given her one. "You are married."

"I was," Sookie told him.

"Was," Eric repeated. "You are not anymore?"

"No."

Eric couldn't quite hide the joy he felt at hearing that she was no longer married. He might have told her he wanted her to be happy, but he realized he only wanted her to be happy with him. He knew it was selfish, but he couldn't help it. Despite everything that had happened, he still considered Sookie his wife and hearing that she had married another caused him pain.

"What happened?"

"We got divorced," Sookie deadpanned.

Eric stared at Sookie, unsure what to make of her new attitude. She was coming across quite hostile, defensive, and sarcastic, and not for the first time he wondered what had happened to her.

"What happened?" Eric repeated.

"History repeated itself."

"What does that mean?" Eric asked, thinking over what he knew about her past. He briefly wondered if her ex-husband had been sent to procure her like Bill had.

"He left me for another woman."

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

"I'm sorry you were hurt," Eric told her truthfully. "Whether you believe me or not, I have never wanted to see you hurt."

"I believe you," Sookie whispered. "But it doesn't matter now, and it was for the best."

"Your hus…band," Eric gritted out the word, "cheating on you was for the best?"

"Yes. I mean it hurt at the time, but once I got some distance from it, I realized it was for the best. I wasn't much of a wife. I tried, but my heart just wasn't in it."

"Did you love him?" Eric asked hating himself for wanting to know.

"I married him."

"That isn't a answer."

"I thought I did. I tried to…" Sookie paused as she let out a breath. "But, no. I didn't love him. Not the way he deserved to be loved. I couldn't."

"Then why did you marry him?"

"Because I was lonely, because he loved me, because for the first time since I left Bon Temps I was happy…well, content. Stefan made me laugh and it'd been a long time since I last laughed."

"How long were you married?"

"Thirteen months. I'm surprised it lasted that long though. I knew I'd made a mistake a few months in, and if he's honest, so did Stefan. He just wanted it to work so bad."

"He was human?" Eric asked.

"Mostly," Sookie answered shrugging. Seeing Eric's curious look, she said, "He was one-eighth demon on his mother's side. It wasn't enough for him to get any of their traits, but enough that I couldn't hear his thoughts."

"Did he know about you?"

"That I was a telepath? Yeah, he knew. I didn't have much choice but to tell him after Bill showed up."

"You didn't tell him before?"

"No. It was terrible of me wasn't it?" Sookie snorted. "After all the crap I gave you about hiding stuff from me, I went and did the exact same thing. He knew I wasn't completely human, that I was one-eighth fairy, but I didn't tell him what I could do. It caused quite a few arguments after he found out. I told him I couldn't hear him, but he didn't believe me. Of course it only got worse when I told him about everything else, about my involvement with vampires, about you," Sookie chuckled lightly. "He really didn't like you."

"What did you tell him?" Eric asked not caring that her ex-husband didn't like him. Eric hadn't met him and he didn't like him either.

"Everything. I was completely honest with him, and he hated it," Sookie said. "He wasn't prejudiced against vampires, he just didn't like knowing how much I loved you. I think he knew that given the chance, I would've been with you. He couldn't accept being second best, and he shouldn't have. He deserved someone to love him completely, to put him first, and that wasn't me. I couldn't do it."

"How did you find out about the other woman if you couldn't read this mind?" Eric asked.

"I walked in on him fucking her," Sookie replied bluntly. "She was a secretary at the place he worked. He was working late one night and I decided to take him some dinner, I was trying to be the good little wife, when I walked in on them. He had her bent over his desk. He actually tried the, 'this is not what it looks like' crap. It might have been more believable if he wasn't still inside her when he said it. If I hadn't believed my own eyes, a quick dip into her head confirmed it was exactly what it looked like, and it had been going on for over five months. He had even had her in our house, our bed. I was furious; I was lucky I wasn't arrested, as I hit them both. I couldn't help myself. I packed my bags and filed for divorce the next day. Funny thing is, once I calmed down I felt more humiliated then hurt."

"What happened to your ex-husband and his whore?"

"He moved her in with him a week later," Sookie said shrugging like it was no big thing. "I think they lasted about four months before he realized what I knew all along: she was a gold-digging whore and was only with him for his money."

"And there has been no one since then?" Eric asked.

"There have been many someones since then, just none that meant anything."

Eric felt a stab of pain in his chest as he heard that. He recalled a conversation they had long ago when she told him she didn't like casual sex; she needed the connection. Eric was brought back to his earlier thought. She was acting like a vampire in many ways and Eric wasn't sure he liked it. He always thought Sookie would make a great vampire, and he still did to some extent, but he didn't mean like that.

"What happened to you?" he asked repeating his earlier question.

"I learned to survive," Sookie answered tiredly. "Life, the supernatural world... I never escaped it, Eric. I tried, oh God did I try, but I couldn't. It wouldn't let me. It didn't matter how fast or far I ran, it was always there waiting for me when I stopped. I wanted out so many times when I was living in Bon Temps. I didn't want anything to do with all that vampire crap. I wanted to be left alone, to not be involved with all your vampire politics, but once I was out I wanted back in. I had no idea how much you protected me back then, how dangerous it really is. And no, I didn't want back in just for your protection, but because I missed it, I missed you, I missed Pam and Bubba. I even missed Thalia. I missed my friends, and that's what the vampires of Area five were: my friends. I wanted to go home so many times, but I couldn't."

"You could. You can," Eric told her sincerely.

"No, I can't."

"Sookie…"

"No, Eric, you don't get it," Sookie cried, cutting him off. "Louisiana, Bon Temps isn't home for me, you are. But you're not there anymore. I can't…couldn't go back and not be near you. I can't do that. I couldn't be so close to you and not be a part of your life."

"You could be."

"No, I can't. I can't be near you and not be with you. I can't stand around and watch while you take one woman after another; I just can't. It nearly killed me hearing it about it from Bill. I couldn't bear to see it."

Not for the first time that night, Eric found himself at a loss of what to say. He could hear the pain in Sookie's voice as she spoke. He always thought he had the worst of it, but as he listened to Sookie speak he knew that wasn't the case. He had lost Sookie and been forced to marry a woman he despised, but he still had Pam, and his home, and his area vampires, while Sookie had nothing. She had lost everything, Pam, her home, her friends; she had been forced to flee her home leaving everything behind, just to be safe, which it seemed she wasn't. He wanted to know what happened to her, but at the same time he didn't. He didn't know if he could handle knowing what happened to her if she had been badly hurt. It would kill him knowing he didn't save her, heal her, protect her.

"I tried to contact you, you know," Sookie said, suddenly breaking into Eric's thoughts. "It was about seven years after…when I…" she trailed off as painful old memories overwhelmed her, "I called you, Pam, I even tried Fangtasia, but I kept getting the same message. The number you have called is no longer in service. It was then I finally accepted what I'd been trying to deny for so long. I was on my own again."

"But that's not possible," Eric replied. "None of those numbers have been disconnected. Fangtasia is still open, and I kept the number you have for me just in case you called."

"But I called them all a dozen times," Sookie said confused. "Why would I get that message every time if they're disconnected?"

"I don't know," Eric said grabbing his cell phone and dialing the number for Fangtasia. He listened to it ring a few times before handing the phone to Sookie.

"Fangtasia, the bar with a bite," Sookie's brow furrowed as she listened to the familiar greeting on the answering machine. Disconnecting the call, Sookie redialed the number and held the phone out.

"The number you have dialed is not a working number. Please check the number and try again."

Ending the call, Sookie tossed the phone back to Eric, "What's going on?"

* * *

Trickery is afoot. Sorry, I've just always wanted to say that. It might not seem it given this chapter and the last, but I do actually like Pam. She's one of my favourite characters.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **Thank you to my beta Ashensunset. Thank you again to everyone who is reading/reviewing/favouriting/alerting my story. I was actually convinced no one would like it. There are some warnings on this chapter, so please pay attention to them.

**Warnings: **This chapter contains references to rape. It is not graphic or explicit; I refuse to write anything like that in graphic detail. I know it might upset some people, not only the rape, but also the people who were responsible for it.

This chapter also contains lemons, those are a little on the explicit side. I'll see you at the bottom for another AN.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

"I am unsure," Eric admitted.

"None of this makes sense. You said you looked for me but couldn't find me," Sookie said.

"Yes."

"I tried to contact you but couldn't. But why?"

"It seems someone or something is conspiring to keep us apart."

"But who and why?" Sookie asked.

"I don't know, but there are a number of suspects," Eric replied.

"Like who?"

"Your fairy kin for one," Eric answered. "Bill, Freyda, de Castro before I killed him, other monarchs."

"If the fairies had the ability to do it, wouldn't they have done it before?" Sookie asked. "They never approved and would've done anything to spilt us up. They proved that when Claude spiked all those fangbangers with fairy blood. If they could've hidden you from me or vice versa they would've done it when I was still in Bon Temps."

"True," Eric agreed. Dosing all those fangbangers with fairy blood so they smelled sweeter, glamouring them to try and seduce him, and arranging for Sookie to walk in on them hadn't been very inspired, and Eric believed they hadn't thought it through properly. They hadn't realized he could resist doing anything more then feeding on them, even when he had tasted the fairy blood. He couldn't resist the temptation to feed on them, the call of the fairy blood too strong, but he had been able to resist fucking any of them regardless of how much the fangbangers begged. He wouldn't have ever betrayed Sookie in that way. She meant too much to him to lose her with meaningless sex.

"Do you think Bill could do something like that?" Sookie asked.

"I think Bill is capable of anything."

"I'm not arguing with you there," Sookie admitted. "He's proven there is little he wouldn't do. I just meant could he do it, would he know how?"

"He could have learned how to on one of his many trips to complete the database."

"But again, why?" Sookie asked. "Why wait for me to leave Bon Temps to do it? I mean Bill knew about the contract, he knew what it meant, he knew the details, so why bother?"

"To be nearer to you," Eric replied like it was obvious. "He has shown numerous times he is obsessed with you. He would do anything to redeem himself in your eyes; by keeping me away he could play the Southern Gentleman to his hearts content. He could finally be your knight in shining amour."

"Bill Compton will never be my knight in shinning armor," Sookie said firmly. "No one will be; I don't need one, and I don't want one. But he's not near me. I haven't seen him since the night in Denmark when he found out I was married."

"It doesn't make sense that he would go to such lengths to have you to himself, only to leave you alone," Eric agreed.

"He didn't really have a choice," Sookie snorted.

"What happened during your last encounter?" Eric asked.

"I threatened to stake him when he tried to glamour Stefan," Sookie answered smiling at the memory. "At first he thought I was bluffing."

"What changed his mind?"

"I silvered him," Sookie admitted. "I'd had a few not so nice run-ins with some vampires the year before, so I had taken to carrying a atomizer filled with colloidal silver… and a water pistol filled with lemon juice," she added as a afterthought. "When Bill tried to glamour Stefan in front of me again I sprayed him with the silver. The look on his face was priceless; you'd have thought I betrayed him. I made it very clear to him if he didn't leave me alone I'd stake him myself."

"I wish I would have seen that," Eric said chuckling.

"If you'd have been there to see it, it wouldn't have happened because…"

"I would have taken care of Bill for you," Eric finished, "nor would you have been married. The more I think about it, the less likely I think Bill is behind it."

"So, if not Bill or the fairies, who?" Sookie questioned.

"Freyda."

"Well you know her better than me. Is this she would do?"

"It is possible, but something tells me no," Eric said. "She is vindictive enough to do it, but I don't think it is her. She wouldn't hide that she had done it.

"Great, so that eliminates someone else. So it's not her, Bill, or the fairies," Sookie replied frustratingly. "So we don't know who did it, or why. Why did they do it? Whoever did it had something to gain, but why? To isolate us, well me. Who would benefit from this?"

"I don't know," Eric admitted reluctantly, "but I intend to find out and when I do whoever did this will pay."

"There's something I don't understand," Sookie said as she thought about it. "If whoever or whatever did this to keep us apart, so we couldn't find each other. Then, how did you find me?"

"I hired numerous people to search for you all over the world," Eric told her. "Marcus, as you know, was one of them. I had him looking for you for a couple of months around Europe without any luck until last night when he walked into your bar and saw you. He contacted Pam, told her, and she made the arrangements."

"So he just strolled into the bar I've owned for the last four years for a drink and saw me," Sookie said disbelievingly.

"It seems so," Eric replied. "He claims he couldn't find anything else about you."

"He wouldn't; I took care of everything else a long time ago. Most of my things are owned through dummy companies," Sookie explained, seeing Eric curious look she laughed. "Lets just say Mr. Cataliades is very helpful. He's no longer on the run and lives not far from here now. He set up the dummy companies shortly after I got divorced. I used that to buy my house, car, and bar. You wouldn't even be able to find my marriage license or divorce papers now."

"Is Mr. Cataliades the only one you stayed in touch with?"

"Other then Jason, but I'm guessing you already know that and had someone glamour him to find out if he knew where I was."

"Pam glamoured him around four months ago, but he didn't seem to know where you were."

"He doesn't. I send him, Michelle, and their children presents, but I've never told them where I was or seen them since I left."

"You never told the shifter, wolf, or witch?" Eric asked.

"No, I didn't even tell them I was leaving."

"I know; they were most angry about it."

"I'm sure they got over it," Sookie replied dismissively.

"You do not miss your old friends?" Eric asked curiously.

"Not really. I mean, I miss hearing how stupid I am for getting involved with vampires or how I should be with someone like myself, but I don't think I knew any other one-eighth fairy telepaths. Or there's my old favorite, I shouldn't be involved in the supe world. Of course when they said that they meant I shouldn't be involved in the vampire part of the supe world. Alcide never had a problem dragging me into werewolf crap."

"You used to be very loyal to the shifter; what changed?"

"Was it loyalty or stupidity?" Sookie replied questioningly. "I never saw what was right in front of me. Sam, for all his 'Sookie you've got to get away from those damn bloodsuckers. You've got to get away from the supernatural world' was more entrenched in it then I ever was. Did you know he knew about de Castro, who he was, and what he was like? He knew about the takeover the day after it happened without me having to tell him. He had connections in were packs, vampire kingdoms, and with other shifters. That doesn't sound like someone who tries to avoid all the supe crap; it sounds like someone who is very much a part of the supernatural world."

"The shifter was quite adept at hiding his connections. Even I was unaware just how much he knew," Eric admitted.

"How are they all, do you know?" Sookie asked out of the blue.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Not really," Sookie confessed, "but I can pretend to."

"The shifter married the werebitch he was seeing…"

"Jannalynn?"

"That one, yes. He still runs his little ramshackle bar, and they have a few mutts. The wolf is still packmaster; he never married but has half a dozen kids, including one with the witch."

"You're joking," Sookie said laughing. "I'd never guessed that."

"I am not. The witch is living in New Orleans with her husband, I believe his name is Bob, and two children. She is still practicing magic; her husband is a witch as well. They are part of a coven."

"You seem to know a lot about Amelia," Sookie remarked.

"I made it a point to know what she is up to," Eric replied. "She caused quite a bit of trouble for me after you left."

"Amelia? No, that's so unlike her," Sookie drawled sarcastically. "What did she do?"

"She accused me of kidnapping and killing you," Eric told her. "When you left without telling her she was convinced I had something to do with it, that I had killed you. She claimed I did it because you broke our bond. She reported me to the police."

"You serious?" Sookie asked, seeing that he was. "Well that's stupid," she spat. "She knows you would've never done that and all she would've had to do was perform an ectoplasmic reconstruction and she'd known I left on my own. But then again, this is Amelia we're talking about; she thought it was a good idea to go to the Hair of the Dog and talk about me breaking the bond."

"What?" Eric growled.

"Didn't I ever tell you about that?" Sookie asked.

"No."

"Don't suppose it matters much now," Sookie dismissed. "I don't know why she was so surprised I didn't tell her I was leaving. I hadn't seen or spoken to her in weeks before I left. Not since she thought I should be with Alcide."

"She what?"

"After informing Alcide I'd broken the bond, she convinced him it was a good idea to follow her back to my house and make a move on me. Thanks to Claude I found him naked in my bed. I kicked him out of my house and then in the morning I kicked Amelia, Bob, and Claude out as well. She apologized by email, but I never saw her again. We sent some emails back and forth but that was it."

"I should have killed the witch," Eric growled. "The wolf too."

"I wonder how she went from deciding I should date Alcide to having his kid," Sookie wondered.

"From what my people tell me she had a brief affair with him twelve years ago."

"You had someone watching her?"

"I do not trust her," Eric confessed. "I want to know what she is doing to make sure she is not causing any trouble. I learned my lesson with Hallow to never underestimate a witch. I won't…"

Staring at Eric curiously, Sookie swore she could almost see the wheels turning behind his eyes as he put something together.

"The witch," he growled.

"What about her?"

"She is behind this."

"Behind what?" Sookie asked still not getting it.

"Us not being able to contact each other," Eric replied.

Sookie opened her mouth to tell Eric he was wrong when the words died in her throat. Knowing Amelia like she did, she realized it was something she could and would do. She had shown after they had broken the bond that she didn't approve of Eric and Sookie's relationship and not for the first time, Sookie wondered why. As far as Sookie knew Amelia hadn't been prejudiced against vampires. She had rented an apartment to Hadley, and worked for Sophie-Anne from time to time. She even had a brief relationship with Pam. So why was she dead set against Eric and Sookie being together?

Eric had once told her that Amelia had hated him; was that true? Did she hate him? And if she did why? Was that what drove her? Or was it something else? Sookie wasn't sure, and she wasn't sure she'd ever find out. To find out for sure, Sookie would have to go back and visit her old friend, but she wasn't sure she could do that. She didn't know if she could restrain herself enough to find out the answer. She was afraid of what she would do to Amelia.

"It sounds like something she would do," Sookie conceded.

"I will kill her."

"Is that wise?" Sookie asked taking Eric by surprise. He was expecting her to scream and shout at him, rage that Amelia was her friend and was probably only trying to help, not ask him if he thought it was wise to kill her.

"Yes," Eric answered simply.

"Eric think about it for a minute," Sookie said. "If Amelia did this, and I think she did," she added quickly seeing the murderous look on Eric face, "– I do. Killing her might make you feel better, but it could prove dangerous, to you. Amelia's not some nobody who visited your club. She's witch, a member of a coven, the mother of a kid of the Longtooth packmaster; her father is a known businessman. She's not someone who can just disappear without a trace."

"I can make her disappear."

"Yeah, you probably could. But at what price?" Sookie questioned. "What would it cost you? Amelia has a lot of people, powerful people, who would miss her."

"And I would wager that is not unintentional," Eric mused.

"What do you mean?"

"I think the witch has put herself in a position where she would be missed if anything happened to her," Eric said as he mulled it over. "Killing her would most likely put me at odds with both a powerful coven and the Longtooth pack. The two of them would undoubtedly join forces to avenge her death. She knows this, and I am guessing she also knows I would be aware of it if I ever discovered her duplicity. She knows I will not risk a war."

"You don't think she did it deliberately do you?" Sookie asked. "You can't be serious," she added when she saw that he did. "You think Amelia deliberately got herself pregnant by Alcide and then married Bob just to protect herself from you? That's crazy, Eric. She was dating Bob before the bond was…" Sookie trailed off as she remembered how surprised she was when she found out Amelia was back with Bob. It hadn't been that long since Tray had been killed and Sookie wondered if it was too soon, but Amelia had distracted her by the news she had found away to break the bond.

Now that she thought about it, Sookie found the timing about suspect. The last time she had seen Bob he hadn't wanted anything else to do with Amelia after she had turned him into a cat, and a few months after Amelia had returned to New Orleans to get over the supposed love of her life, they were back together. Had Amelia gotten back together with Bob because she knew how pissed Eric would be about breaking the bond? Factor in as soon as they had broken it, she had run and told Alcide all about it, and Sookie was starting to thinking she might have done everything they were accusing her of. If Sookie had done what Amelia had wanted her to and gotten together with Alcide, then they would have had the protection that Amelia had now. "I think you might be right."

"She will not get away with this," Eric promised. "I should have punished her when she broke our bond."

"Why does she hate you so much?" Sookie asked not understanding Amelia's motivation at all.

"I do not know, nor do I care," Eric replied. "She has interfered with us for the last time. You could have been hurt. You could have needed me."

"I was. I did," Sookie whispered her voice so low even Eric had trouble hearing it.

Eric gazed at Sookie, her face filled with a pain she could no longer hide. He could see her walls starting to crumble as her defenses came down. Tapping into the bond he couldn't explain, he could feel her pain, her shame, and in that moment he knew watch ever happened to her had been terrible, whatever it was had shaken her to her very core and changed who she was. He longed to take her in his arms and soothe her, protect her from all those who seek to do her harm.

Acting on instinct, Eric rose from his chair and moved around her desk, he pulled her out of her chair and into his arms. He ignored her struggles as he held her tight. It had been almost thirteen years since he had last held her, but as he buried his head in her hair and breathed in her scent the time drifted away and it felt just like yesterday. Her scent was almost the same, just a little sweeter with a hint of something that was familiar, but he just couldn't place. Eric tangled his hand in her hair and just held her. The feeling of her in his arms was calming, her body pressed against his felt like home, and he had missed it more then he could ever express.

Ceasing her struggles, Sookie sank into Eric's embrace cling to him as all the old painful memories came back, she had spent years trying to forget what had happened to her, but with Eric there holding her like he used to, the walls she had built to block them out came crumbling down. Part of her hated Eric for making her relive her nightmares, even if he didn't know he was doing it. The knowledge that he hadn't forgot about her was almost too much for her to bear. She had spent years thinking he no longer cared; in away to rationalize it to herself she had told herself he never did. It made it easier for her to believe he never cared than to accept that he had just stopped. She felt the shame of what happened to her, what they had done to her deep down in her bones. She wanted to lash out, to scream and cry, to hit someone, but those who had hurt her were long dead, and she swore a long time ago she would never shed another tear for them or because of them.

Eric could feel her shaking in his arms as she relived whatever horror she had faced. He wanted to know who had hurt her, so he could kill them slowly and very painfully, and if they were already dead, he would kill someone who looked like them. Refusing to let her go, Eric lifted her into his arms and sat down in her chair settling Sookie on his lap. He held her to his chest as he ran his hand up and down her side, whispering nonsensical things in her ears to soothe her.

"You are safe now," Eric assured her.

"Safe?" Sookie choked letting out a bitter laugh. "I've got your crazy bitch of a wife after me, not to mention dear ol' great-grandfather Niall. I'm sure he's pissed and wants revenge after what I did to…" Sookie trailed not wanting to go down that path.

"Did to who, Sookie?"

"No one, nothing; it doesn't matter," Sookie said in a rush of words.

"Have you seen Niall since you left Bon Temps?" Eric asked seemingly changing the subject.

"No," Sookie answered surprised he hadn't pushed the subject she was trying to avoid. "I know he still wants me as a broodmare though, but I found a way to protect myself and I doubt he's willing to lose anymore studs trying to get me."

Eric listened to her words trying to put everything together from the little she was saying. He doubted she was even aware that she was giving him clues. From what she said he was convinced Niall had found out where she was and had sent someone after her, someone she seemed to have killed. She had mentioned earlier that the fairies who had found her had gone on to the Summerland, and he was now convinced it was at her hands.

"What of the fairies that lived with you, your kin?" he asked.

Eric felt Sookie seize up in his arms, and anger, hatred, shame, and disgust smashed against him, making him grit his teeth as the feelings almost overwhelmed him. It was then he knew whatever happened to her, happened at their hands.

"They're both dead," Sookie answered her tone hard and filled with malice.

"What did they do to you lover?" Eric asked softly.

"I can't…" she stuttered, "I don't… Eric, please."

"Ssshh," Eric murmured. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I am sorry I wasn't there for you. I would have killed them before they had the chance to hurt you if I could have. I wouldn't have…"

"They hurt me, Eric," Sookie cut him off finally letting it out. "They hurt me so bad. Claude blamed me for Claudine's death; he never forgave me. And Dermot wanted to go back to fairy; he thought Niall would forgive him for siding with Breandan and let him go home if he… he… had… an… heir."

Eric closed his eyes and held her to him tightly as what she was saying hit him. Anger swelled up in him and his fangs snapped down as he realized what they had done to her. He felt the need to hunt, to destroy the ones who had hurt her, to avenge his mate. He wanted to bathe in their blood, to tear them limb from limb, it was the only the feeling of Sookie shaking in his arms that grounded him. She had needed him badly and he hadn't been there for her, but he was with her now and he wasn't leaving. Freyda could go to hell; he wasn't leaving his true wife. He placed a gentle kiss on top of her head while he got himself under control. He could feel her shame and disgust and Eric realized they were directed at herself. She was ashamed at what had happened to her, and was disgusted at what she had suffered.

"You have nothing to feel ashamed of," Eric said tilting her face up so he could look into her eyes. He was surprised to see no tears in her eyes but he could clearly see the shame etched on her face.

"How do you know I'm feeling ashamed?" Sookie asked hoarsely her voice filled with the tears she refused to shed.

"I can feel you," Eric admitted truthfully. "I have been since I rose this evening."

"But that's not possible," Sookie argued. "I broke the bond."

"I know, but I can. I have been able to feel you all evening. Are you saying you can't feel me?"

"I…I don't know," Sookie replied frowning. "I've had everything locked down in my head all night. I've not really been paying attention to anything that wasn't in front of me. I would know though, would I?"

"Can you feel me, Sookie?" Eric asked both anticipating and dreading the answer. He watched as her eyes became unfocused, her emotions changing swiftly as she prodded against the once broken bond. He saw the look of surprise in her eyes the moment she felt it too, and he knew the answer before she even opened her mouth. She could feel him as well.

"It's not possible," Sookie breathed in disbelief.

"Apparently it is."

"But how?" she asked.

"I do not know, but I like feeling you again," Eric admitted.

"You like feeling my shame? My disgust? My humiliation?" Sookie asked angrily.

"I told you, you have nothing to feel ashamed of."

"You don't know that, Eric," Sookie raged. "You don't know what they did to me."

"It is not your fault," Eric replied trying to make her see she wasn't at fault for what happened to her. "You are not to blame. They should be ashamed for hurting you. The shame lies with them, not you."

"You don't think I should be ashamed that my great uncle forced himself on me?" Sookie asked brokenly. "You don't think I should be ashamed that Dermot raped me while Claude held me down and watched. That Claude… that Claude… oh God, he hated me. He wanted to see me humiliated, broken. The things he did to me… how he…."

From what she was saying, Eric gathered that Dermot wasn't the only one who raped her. If he was understanding her correctly, and part of him prayed to the God he didn't believe in that he wasn't, Claude had raped her as well. Eric wasn't sure what to make of that; he knew Claude was gay. Did Claude hate her that much? But then he remembered rape had nothing to do with sex. It was about power. Claude would have done it to prove her had power over her.

Eric needed to know, but he didn't want to ask. He wanted to help her since it was clear she was still hurting. She hadn't dealt with what happened to her. But did he have the right to ask? It was clear she didn't want him to know, but it seemed she didn't want anyone to know. That line of thinking was something he could relate to, as he had never wanted anyone to know what Appius had done to him.

Eric hadn't forgotten the shame he felt the first time Appius had forced himself on him and every time after. He may have learnt how to endure it, and at times get pleasure from it, but he had never truly accepted it. He couldn't. It had never been his choice. Every time he had sex with Appius it had been because Appius wanted it and he had been powerless to refuse. But unlike Sookie, he had come to terms with what happened to him; it hadn't been easy, but he had. Sookie was still hiding from it. She had admitted it had happened to her, but she was distancing herself from it, putting up a wall. She was still hurting, but pretending she wasn't. She needed to heal, but as long as she hid from it she never would.

Lifting her from his lap, he placed her on the edge of her desk. Cradling her face in his hands, he stood up and stared deep into her eyes," What they did to you was not your fault," he said firmly. "They are to blame here Sookie. What happened to you was terrible and it shouldn't have happened, but lover, you are not to blame."

"I could have stopped them," Sookie whimpered her guilt meshing with her shame.

"How? They were stronger than you and there was two of them…" Eric trailed off as he heard Sookie's breath hitch as shame flooded the bond. Seeing the broken look in her eyes, he felt his heart drop, as he realized what she wasn't saying. "Oh lover," pressing his lips to her head as he tried to starve of the murderous rage growing inside him. "How many?"

"Five," she answered her voice barely a whisper.

"Oh lover, what did they do to you?"

"Anything they wanted," Sookie answered brokenly.

"What happened to them?" Eric asked through gritted teeth, trying hard not to imagine what they had done to her.

"They're all dead," Sookie replied a hint of satisfaction coloring her tone as she recalled the brutal way they all died.

Eric was both pleased and pissed at hearing that; he was happy knowing the ones that hurt her had paid for it with their lives, and couldn't hurt her anymore, at least not physically, but he was pissed he didn't get the chance to make them suffer. And he would have done. By the time he'd have been done with them they would have been begging to die.

"How did they die?" he asked hoping she would say painfully.

"Screaming," Sookie replied darkly without a hint of remorse. "Mr. Cataliades and Diantha found me about a week after Claude and Dermot did. Ever since Bill hunted me down I'd been checking in with Desmond every month for safety. I was supposed to check in a few days after they took me, and when I didn't, he and Diantha came looking for me. Desmond tore Claude apart with his bare hands – it was brutal – while Diantha killed the other three. Dermot turned up at the end, just as Diantha was biting chunks out of one of them. He was never around while the others had their 'fun.' I'm not sure if he even knew what they were doing to me. Out of them all, he was the only one who showed any type of remorse, but it didn't matter. He was just as guilty. I killed him. I stabbed him through the heart with an iron dagger."

Eric found himself grateful to the demon lawyer and his niece. Knowing Claude had died painfully soothed him slightly, and familiar with Diantha's reputation, he was sure the other three did as well.

"I'd never seen Desmond so mad," Sookie continued. "He told me they'd have suffered a lot worse if Fintan was still alive."

"Does Niall know?" Eric asked suddenly thinking of the danger she could be in if he did.

"I'm sure Dermot told him before he moved onto the Summerland."

"You have not seen him?" Eric questioned. "He has not been to see you?"

"No," Sookie replied. "I… I stayed with Desmond and Diantha for a few months after it happened. I needed time to heal, and they were the only ones I trusted. Desmond knew of a way to ward his property so no fairy wishing to do harm could enter. Although, he said only an idiot would try to get to me while I was with him, and Niall is no idiot."

"But you are no longer staying with them," Eric remarked.

"No, but I've learned how to protect myself since then," Sookie said with pride. "The next fairy that came after me found that out the hard way."

"You were attacked again?" Eric growled.

"About seven months after I killed Dermot. Dillon sent someone after me. He was pissed at me, and blamed me for Claudine's death, and Claude's too. Apparently, he didn't care about Dermot though. I don't know how, but he got a message to some fairy. I was still living in Denmark at the time, and he was waiting for me in my old apartment when I returned home."

"Did he hurt you?"

"He didn't get a chance. I took his head off before he even had a chance to touch me." Seeing the look of surprise on Eric's face, she continued, "Like I said, I've learned how to protect myself."

"How?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Sookie…"

"It doesn't matter how I did it; it just matters that I did," Sookie said, cutting him off.

Knowing she wouldn't tell him if she didn't want to, and not wanting to push her anymore, Eric let it drop. "Have you had any trouble since then?"

"Not from the fairies; they seem to be leaving me alone for now," Sookie replied, grateful he was letting it drop. "I had a few run-ins with some vampires, but nothing life threatening… well not for me anyway."

"You no longer seem concerned about the death of vampires," Eric remarked remembering her reaction to Victor Madden's death.

"It was them or me. I chose me," Sookie replied without a hint of regret. "I won't be anyone's victim again."

"What made you decide on Sweden? Why did you move here?" Eric asked out the blue changing the subject.

"It's easy to get lost in the crowd. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed women are a dime a dozen here. We're not exactly uncommon. I don't stand out, and it's easy to blend in, even if I'm surrounded by giants. I could finally stop dyeing my hair and be me again."

"You are happy here." It wasn't a question more of a statement.

"I am," Sookie admitted. "I've had little trouble in the last few years I have a good life here, a nice little house, and my bar."

"What about friends?"

"I have Desmond and Diantha. I don't need anyone else."

"There is no man in your life currently?"

"They're many men in my life, just none that mean anything to me," Sookie replied with a shrug. Looking at him, Sookie smiled, "I know where you're going with this Eric, and the answer is still no. I'm not leaving."

"I understand you don't want to leave, but Sookie you must understand. Freyda will come for you; she wishes to hurt me by hurting you."

"I understand Eric, I do. But what am I supposed to do? Me leaving is not gonna stop her hunting me. Where am I supposed to go?"

"You can come back to Louisiana with me."

"No," Sookie refused immediately. "I can't. I can't be near you Eric if we can't be together, and as long as you're still married to her we won't ever be. By my reckoning you still have another eighty-seven years to go."

"We could be. I could find a way."

"No you can't," Sookie said smiling sadly. "If there was a way you'd have found it by now. You know you would," raising her hand, she cupped his face stroking his cheek with her thumb. "You've gotta face it, Eric. Me and you, we're not meant to be."

"I can't accept that. I won't."

"You're gonna have to."

"There has to be a way. I love you."

"And I love you. I never stopped, although God knows I tried," Sookie admitted. "I tried everything I could think of to get over you, but nothing worked, and I know nothing ever will. I love you as much now as I did when we were together, if not more. I'll never stop, but Eric you've got to accept it. It's over between us, please."

"Never. It will never be over between us Sookie," Eric said firmly his eyes full of fire as he swooped down and claimed her lips with his own.

Sookie stiffened in his arms as she felt his lips move over hers, her mind and body at war with each other. Her mind was screaming at her that this was a bad idea and no good could come of it, while her body screamed at her to let go, to give into what she was feeling, what she always felt when he was around. It had been a long time since she felt anything but sexual gratification with a man and Sookie found herself giving into her feelings. She silenced her mind as she gave in and kissed him back. Fisting her hand in his shirt, she pulled him closer to her as she parted her legs allowing him to stand in between them.

Eric tangled his hand in her hair as he tilted her face up. Licking along the seams of her lips, he begged for entrance, which Sookie eagerly gave. Eric groaned into her mouth as his tongue twisted with hers. He possessed her mouth in the same way he longed to possess her body, completely. Eric lost himself in the kiss, nipping on her lips before sucking on her tongue. Her taste, her scent, and the way her body pressed so perfectly against his drove Eric crazy. He had almost forgotten what it was like to kiss someone, having not kissed anyone in almost thirteen years. In fact Sookie was the last person he kissed. He may have fucked countless others over the years, but he had not kissed anyone.

Sookie moaned into his mouth, heat pooling between her thighs as Eric stole the breath from her body. She ran her hands down his chest, loving the feel of his body beneath her hands again. Flicking her tongue over his fangs, Sookie smiled into the kiss as she felt him shudder. She nicked her tongue on his fangs, wincing at the slight sting.

Eric groaned loudly as her blood spilt into his mouth; he sucked on her tongue, wanting to get last drop. He ran his hand over her neck, rubbing his thumb over her pulse point that was beating erratically, before moving it over her shoulder and down her arm, his lips following the path his hand took. He sucked hard on her pulse point. marking her for all to see.

Slipping his fingers into the front of her dress, Eric pulled on the material hard, yanking it down exposing her bra-covered breasts to his hungry gaze. Lifting his hands, he cupped her breasts, his thumbs ghosting over the scalloped edge of her bra. Pressing his lips to hers again, Eric nibbled on her lips as his hands became reacquainted with her breasts. He swept his thumbs over her nipples making them pebble, and smirked as he heard her breath hitch. Pushing her bra out of the way, he cupped her naked breasts, weighing them in his hands. She felt amazing in his hands and he couldn't wait to taste her again.

Straightening up, Eric took a step back and gazed down at Sookie, as she sat perched on the edge of her desk, a slight glow radiating from her skin. Her ample chest was heaving with each breath she took. Her plump lips were swollen from their kisses. In that moment Eric swore she had never looked more beautiful.

"You still have the most beautiful breasts I have ever seen," he said slowly running his fingers over them. Bending down, he flicked his tongue over her right nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

"Eric," Sookie whimpered as she tangled her hand in his hair and held his head to her breast.

"Fuck, lover," he moaned around her breast. "I have missed you so much."

Knocking everything off her desk, Eric pushed her back, laying her down on it, and leaned over her. Gripping her bra, he pulled on it hard, destroying the clasp before throwing it over his shoulder not caring where it landed. Eric purred as he rubbed his face between her breasts breathing her in.

Lifting her legs, Sookie wrapped them around his hips as she tugged on his shirt desperate to feel his naked chest pressed against hers. Yanking his shirt off, she threw it behind her before sighing as his cold chest pressed against her heated one. She raked her nails down his back delighting in the small groans he gave.

Eric ground his hips against hers as he kissed down her body paying ample attention to her breasts. He pulled her nipple into his mouth sucking on it hard making Sookie cry out before letting it go with a 'pop.' He scraped his fangs over her breasts, scoring the milky white flesh, and little beads of blood were breaking the surface, mesmerizing Eric. He stared at her as a small drop of blood trickled down the side of her breast. His eyes met hers as he lapped at the blood, savoring her taste.

Sookie threaded her hand in his hair, tugging on it gently, making him purr. She could see lust burning brightly in his eyes and she knew the same lust was reflected in her own. She smiled at him as she stroked her fingers through his hair. She had always loved his hair; she loved the feeling of his silken locks over sliding over her naked flesh, loved it falling over their faces as he moved above her, and she really loved tangling her fingers in it and pulling on it when he had his head buried between her thighs. She missed him more than she could ever say. There were no words to describe how empty she felt without him; her heart ached for him. She knew what they were doing was wrong. He didn't belong to her anymore, and he belonged to another, even if he did despise her. If anyone ever found out they would be in so much trouble; Sookie didn't fool herself into believing Eric would be the only one to answer for their passion, but as she stared down into his soulful blue eyes, she couldn't find it in herself to care. She would happily face anything they could throw at them if she could just spend a few hours in his arms again.

"You are thinking too much lover," Eric said breaking into her musings.

"I can't help it."

"Then let me distract you," Eric purred nipping her stomach.

"Eric we can't," Sookie said saying the words she didn't want to but had to. "The contract said…"

"I don't care," Eric growled lifting himself up onto his arms, he placed a hand either side of her head and stared down at her. "I don't care about the contract, or the bitch I was forced to marry. She has kept me from you for far too long." He slammed his lips down on hers. "Mine," he growled into the kiss.

All will to resist fled Sookie as Eric took her lips in a bruising kiss. She needed him more than she needed the oxygen in her lungs. She tightened her legs around his waist pulling him closer. Her hands flew to his ass, groping him over his jeans. He still had the best ass she had ever seen. Slipping a hand into the back of his jeans, Sookie wasn't surprised to discover he was going commando. Sliding her other hand between them, Sookie rubbed his cock over his jeans.

"Fuck lover," Eric cursed breaking the kiss. Sliding a hand up her leg, Eric pushed the skirt of her dress up until it bunched around her waist. "I need you."

"Take me," Sookie breathed, giving into the feelings he was eliciting in her.

Sliding his hand between her legs, Eric ran a finger over her lace-covered sex, groaning at how wet she was. Pushing her panties aside, Eric teased her clit with his thumb as he pushed a single digit deep inside her. Eric groaned feeling her around his finger. She was as tight as he remembered and he couldn't wait to bury his cock inside her again. He pushed a second finger into her, twisting them as he thrust them inside her, stretching her in preparation for what was to come.

"Oh!" Sookie moaned grinding her hips against his hand.

Not being able to wait a second longer, Eric pulled his fingers out of her, chuckling at the hiss of displeasure Sookie gave, "Patience lover," he teased as he undid his jeans and pushed them over his hips and down his legs, letting them pool at his ankles.

Grabbing her thighs, he pulled her to the edge of the desk. Gripping his straining erection in his hand, Eric rubbed the head of his cock over her soaked panties before he hooked his fingers in the waistband and tugged hard, snapping the elastic. He let them flutter to the floor as he lined himself up, catching her eyes he pressed forward slowly, the head of his cock penetrating her, making her gasp. He slid into her inch by inch until he was sheathed snugly deep inside her.

"Oh God!" Sookie cried out, her body singing.

Eric dug his fingers into her thigh, spreading her legs slightly as he thrust gently into her. His eyes fixed on where they were joined. "Fuck," he groaned as he watched his cock disappear into her over and over.

"More," Sookie begged, arching her back as her breasts bounced with each of Eric's thrusts. "Harder."

Never one to deny her, Eric slammed into her faster and harder, his hips a blur of movement as he pounded into her. This was what he wanted, what he needed, what he had craved for so long. No other filled the gap that she left, and he suddenly felt dirty for thousands of women he had taken in the past twelve years. Sex had lost its meaning to him; it was now just a means to an end, a way to occupy his time. But with Sookie spread out before him, her pussy gripping him so tightly, it regained meaning. With her he wasn't wasting time but savoring it. As her silken depths took him in again and again, he realized this was where he was meant to be. This was where he belonged, and he'd be damned if he let anyone or anything get in his way.

Sookie Stackhouse was his, she always had been, and she always would be.

"Oh God yes," Sookie screamed.

"That's it," Eric groaned feeling her tightening around him. Slipping a hand between them, he rubbed his thumb over her clit.

"Oh… yes… Eric," Sookie cried as her orgasm crept up on her. Spots danced behind her eyes as coils tightened in her belly until they snapped, sending her spinning head first into a powerful release. Her body shook as her orgasm rolled over her, stealing her breath and making her body sing.

Eric gritted his teeth as he thrust through Sookie's release in search of his own. He had forgotten how great she felt wrapped around him. As he slammed into her hard, the force of his thrusts moving the desk, he felt the familiar tingling at the base of his spine as his orgasm built, his balls tightening. He came with a roar, uncaring of who heard, emptying himself into her welcoming body. He collapsed on top of her, careful to keep his full weight from her. Eric placed soft kisses on her shoulders as he listened to her breathing even out.

"I love you," he said, his voice soft and low.

"I love you too," Sookie replied, her voice catching as tears welled in her eyes.

"Please don't cry," Eric said.

"You never did like to see a woman cry," Sookie replied with a little laugh.

"I never liked to see you cry," Eric corrected.

"Eric, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Eric admitted. "But I know I want you back in my life."

"You know that's not possible," Sookie said. "She'll never let us be together, and I can't be just your friend."

"You could never just be my friend. It is not who we are. You are my lover. The only one I love."

"But I'm not your wife, not anymore," Sookie replied sadly. "She holds that position now."

"I wish she didn't," Eric told her truthfully.

"So do I… only I'm making that wish too late," Sookie said as she thought about the cluviel dor. If she had used the fairy trinket when she first found out about the contract she could have avoided all the pain of the last twelve years. But like Eric hadn't realized he could have annulled the contract by becoming King, she hadn't realized she could have wished the contract away until after he had pledged to her. She couldn't even use it now, having utilized its magic years ago.

"I will find a way for us to be together. I promise," Eric swore.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Sookie begged.

"I will keep this one; I swear."

Pushing on his shoulders so he would get up, Sookie sat up. She pulled on the bodice of her dress covering herself as best she could. "Don't give me hope where there isn't any," she said as she hopped off the desk and straightened her dress.

Eric watched her pace back and forth, as he pulled up and refastened his jeans. "We will be together again," he swore as he picked up his shirt and slipped it on.

"How though, Eric? I don't mean to keep repeating myself, but your wife will never allow us to be together. And I won't be your mistress. I won't be the dirty little secret you run around with behind her back."

"I would never ask you to be," Eric replied indignantly. "I would never ask you to be less than you are. You will stand by my side. I will share everything I have with you. Everyone who owes me fealty will honor you."

"You've said those words to me before," Sookie said remembering the same words being spoken to her by her sweet amnesia Eric.

"I meant them then, and I still mean them," Eric told her. "I do not know how and I do not know when, but I will bring you to my side. You will be my Queen."

"It's not possible," Sookie argued.

"It is. I will make it possible."

"Eric…"

"No," Eric interrupted. "Do not refuse me now. Give me time; that is all I ask."

"How much time?" Sookie asked frustrated. "Am I supposed to wait forever? Eric you have to face it; as long as you're married to her we can't be together and last I heard there is no divorce in vampire marriages. I don't like it, but I've had to accept it. You're hers. You're not mine anymore, and I'm not yours."

"You are wrong," Eric said firmly. "You are mine. You always have been, and, Sookie Stackhouse, you always will be. Nothing can ever change that."

"Maybe you're right. You will always own my heart, but it's time to let you go, and it's time you let me go. Seeing you again has been… painful, soul destroying, but amazing. And the sex was great as always. I needed to see you; I needed to know you hadn't forgot about me. I was so angry with you thinking you had, but now I know you hadn't. But Eric, it's time. You have to let me go. Holding on to me, to us, knowing we can't be together will kill us."

"No, I will never let you go," Eric said with conviction. "You own my heart, Sookie Stackhouse. I can never, will never let you go. So don't ask me to. You belong with me. We belong together."

"You're wrong," Sookie argued weakly.

Stalking across the room, Eric took Sookie's face in his hands and brought his lips down on hers in a soul-stealing kiss. "Tell me that didn't feel right. Tell me a single touch by me doesn't make you burn. Tell me you haven't spent the last twelve years wishing you were with me and I'll go. I'll let you go and I'll never bother you again."

"I…I…" Sookie stuttered. She wanted to tell him that she hadn't, that she didn't. But she couldn't. The words refused to be spoken. She knew it would be easier on them if she could, but she couldn't lie to him.

Resting his forehead against hers, "We will be together again," he swore before taking her lips in another kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "I will come for you," he said as he broke the kiss.

"Eric…"

He placed a finger over her lips. "Trust me," he kissed her on the forehead before taking a step back. "I love you," he said before strolling out of her office, leaving a confused yet hopeful Sookie behind.

* * *

I know it might seem in bad taste to put a lemon in the same chapter with the references to rape. I also know some of you might not be happy with Sookie giving into Eric like she has, but I just want to say, she's only given into her desires, her lust. You'll soon find out she's still holding back. I'm going to be completely honest with you; my original plan for this chapter was for them to kiss and nothing more. Sookie was going to push him away, but as it always seem with me; my characters have minds of their own.

Seeing how I can't stick to one chapter a day, I'll post another tonight. We have just passed the halfway mark.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **Thank you to my beta, Ashensunet. Thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing my story. It means a lot to me. I'm sorry I'm not answering them all personally. No Sookie/Eric interaction this chapter, but we do get more hints of what happened to Sookie and what she did.

**Warning:** This chapter contains references to rape.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

"You fucked her," was the first thing Eric heard when he walked into his hotel room.

"Is that how we are greeting each other now?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" Pam demanded. "Well I know what you were thinking with. I can't believe you were so stupid to fuck her."

"Are you quite done?" Eric asked as he crossed the room and sat down on the sofa.

"Seriously Eric, what the fuck were you thinking? You know you can't have her. If Freyda finds out, she'll have your balls. I can't believe you risked everything like that. Is she really that good of a fuck you…"

"Pamela!" Eric growled, shooting off the sofa towards her and making her stumble back. "Do not ever talk about Sookie like that."

"I'm sorry," Pam apologized, lowering her head in submission. "I like Sookie. I just fear what this will mean for you."

"I know you do, child," Eric replied, softening his tone. "And given the threat from Freyda, it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, but I don't regret it."

"Did you at least talk after you kicked me out?" Pam asked, still smarting about that.

"We talked, in between her trying to push me away. Sookie had quite the tale to tell," Eric replied. "It seems good ol' Bill found her."

"What?"

"Bill found her a year after she left Bon Temps."

"Why didn't he tell us? What did he do to her?"

"He tried to get her to bond with him," Eric said his anger returning. "He conveniently forgot to mention that de Castro was dead and lead her to believe she was still in danger. It wasn't until a year later that he told her de Castro was finally dead and I was King."

"Please let me torture him, Eric," Pam practically begged.

"Compton will pay," Eric promised.

"How did Bill find Sookie when we couldn't?" Pam asked.

"The witch," Eric growled.

"Amelia? She was helping Bill?" Pam asked confused.

"No, she used magic to keep me and Sookie hidden from each other. I could not find her and Sookie could not contact me."

"Eric, I don't understand."

Eric explained all he had learned that night, from the numerous times Bill had found her, to the magic they suspected Amelia had used to keep them apart. He told Pam how Sookie had tried to call them both after she had been hurt and the message she got every time. He didn't tell her how Sookie was hurt or who had hurt her, just that she had been hurt badly and needed him, needed them, but due to Amelia's interference she was unable to contact them. It pained him as he explained to Pam how Sookie had come to believe he didn't care about her.

"I'll kill her," Pam snarled.

"That was my reaction," Eric admitted, "but Sookie…"

"Don't tell me Sookie defended her," Pam interrupted.

"No, quite the contrary, but she made me realize killing the witch would put me at odds with the Longtooth pack and a powerful coven."

"So, why should we care what a bunch of wolves or witches think?" Pam sneered.

"Because they could prove to be dangerous for us. Have you forgotten the trouble Hallow caused already?"

"I haven't. But Eric, you can't let her get away with this."

"I'm not. The witch will pay, alongside Compton; we just have to be smart about it."

"Is Sookie okay?" Pam asked, forgetting her earlier anger at the telepath. From what Eric had said, or hadn't said, Pam got the feeling Sookie had been hurt badly. She hadn't forgot how much of a danger magnet was, and Pam doubted it had changed just because she had left Bon Temps.

"She suffered greatly," Eric replied, his voice filled with anguish as he recalled just how she had suffered. "I will not go into detail as it is Sookie's story to tell, and if she wants you to know she will tell you herself. But she was hurt badly."

"You expect her to be a part of our lives from now on," Pam remarked.

"I do," Eric admitted. "I was forced to walk away from her once. I will not do it again."

"But, Eric, what about Freyda?"

"What about her?"

"She's not going to just accept Sookie being back in your life," Pam said trying to make him see reason. "You know as well as I do the contract between you and…"

"I do not care what the contract says," Eric growled. "Nor do I care what Freyda thinks or feels. I will bring Sookie to my side. She will not stop me."

"Eric, you can't be serious," Pam said, realizing what he was planning. "You can't think Freyda will sit back and watch while you elevate Sookie to a station she craves. She'll have you before the council for breaking the contract before Sookie even steps foot in the palace. Eric, think about this; you're risking everything for her and for no gain."

"You are wrong," Eric replied. "I will gain her. I am risking everything so I can have my wife – my true wife – back."

"And how are you going to do that?" Pam asked. "Freyda might put up with you fucking every female in sight, but she won't put up with this. She'll bring you before the council; you know she will, and as much as I hate to admit it, our laws are on her side. Appius and that stupid contract saw to that."

"I don't know," Eric admitted, "but I will find a way. I promised Sookie I would, and I have no intention of breaking that promise."

"Maybe you can buy your way out of the contract," Pam said, but even as she said it, she knew it wouldn't happen. Freyda wanted him; she wouldn't give him up for money or territory. "We could arrange for her to have an unfortunate accident."

"While her meeting the final death would please me greatly. I would be the number one suspect. No matter how we planned it, no one would believe I had nothing to do with the death of the wife I despised. Especially if it coincided with the return of Sookie to my side."

"We could pin it on Bill," Pam tempted. "Everyone knows of their relationship."

"What relationship?" Eric snorted. "Freyda fucked him a few times to try to make me jealous. Why she thought that would work, I don't know."

"Because she heard how you used fight over Sookie," Pam replied. "She thought you'd hate losing anything to him."

"I would happily lose her to him."

"So we can't kill her and can't buy her off, so how the fuck are we going to get rid of her?"

"I have no idea, but I will find a way. I will not spend another thirteen years without Sookie. I will not spend another year without her."

"You're serious about this?"

"I am," Eric replied. "I am done playing Freyda's games. I want Sookie back. I want my wife back, and I will do whatever I have to in order to make it happen."

OoOoO

Sookie sank down into her usual chair in at the edge of the dance floor as she half-heartedly watched her waitresses clean up the bar. Her mind was still consumed with thoughts of what had happened earlier in the night. Part of her still couldn't believe Eric was there. She had spent seven years thinking about him and the next five trying to forget him – not that she ever could. Seeing him standing before her had rocked her to the core. She had tried to hold on to her anger, tried to feign disinterest but couldn't. Sookie had imagined Eric turning up countless times over the years. There hadn't been a day that went by in the first year that she didn't fantasize about him turning up and telling her he had found a way out of their predicament and could be together again.

She had been disappointed when Bill turned up instead of Eric; he hadn't been the one she wanted to see. Even after Bill had told her Eric was King and had gone back to his old ways, she didn't give up her dreams. It had hurt her to hear that but she refused to give them up; they were all she had. Not even marrying Stefan had killed them. Looking back, she knew she was a terrible wife. She hadn't married him because she loved him, but because she was lonely. She didn't really blame him for cheating on her; she had checked out of their marriage shortly after it began. Since him it had been one one-night stand after another. She had taken the vampire approach to sex: fucking without feeling.

"Howyoudoing?"

"Cheese and rice," Sookie cried, jumping out her skin. She glared at Diantha as she slid into the chair opposite her. "You scared me half to death."

"Sorry," Diantha replied. "You'reusuallymoreawareofyoursurr oundings."

"Speak slower, Diantha," Sookie said tiredly. "I don't think I have it in me to decipher what you're saying tonight."

"What's wrong?" Diantha asked concerned. She couldn't remember the last time she saw Sookie so out of sorts.

"I had a unexpected visitor tonight."

"Who?"

"Eric."

"Northman?" Diantha asked, shocked.

"Yes."

"What did he want?"

"To tell me I was in…" Sookie trailed off as she remembered they weren't alone. She flicked her eyes over to the waitresses milling around. Getting their attention, she dismissed them for the night and waited for them to leave before turning her attention back to Diantha.

"So what did he want?" Diantha asked again.

"To tell me I was in danger."

"Again?"

Sookie couldn't help but laugh at Diantha sardonic tone. Her penchant for finding danger had become quite the joke between them over the years with Diantha often joking that Sookie could find danger in a convent.

"Apparently."

"I suppose it's been quiet of late," Diantha remarked. "So what's the danger this time?"

"His wife," Sookie answered, grimacing.

"The Queen of Oklahoma?"

"Unless he married someone else without telling me."

"What does she want?" Diantha asked.

"To torture, maim, and kill me," Sookie replied dismissively. "You know, the usual."

"Why? Why you? And why now?"

"Apparently Eric pissed her off and she's after me to get back at him," Sookie explained. "Eric and Pam came to warn me and get me to safety."

"But you refused to leave," Diantha said, knowing her friend well.

"I told them I can protect myself. They didn't believe me though."

"Did you tell them how or why you can?" Diantha asked.

"No," Sookie replied sheepishly.

"Sookie," Diantha sighed. "You just told them you could and gave no explanation why. I'm not surprised they didn't believe you."

"In my defense, it's not a easy thing to explain," Sookie said defending herself. "I told Eric he wouldn't believe me if I told him, and I doubt he would. I still have trouble believing it myself."

"Do you trust him?" Diantha asked.

"Yes," Sookie answered without thinking about it, but as she said it she realized it was the truth. She did trust him. She always had, even when she probably shouldn't have, even when she pretended she didn't, deep down she did. She knew she had been hard on him, something she regretted deeply, but that had been due to all her Bill baggage.

She had been distant with Eric and tried to push him away because she had been afraid of how much she cared for him, how much she loved him. Bill's betrayal had hurt her, but Eric had the ability to destroy her. She had kept him at arms length for so long because of fear of being hurt again, which had not been fair to Eric. He had suffered for Bill's crimes.

"If you trust him, tell him," Diantha urged.

"It's not that simple," Sookie said, letting out a sigh. "What am I supposed to say? While recovering from being gang raped by a group of fairies I made a wish to be safe, to be protected. It came true, and now I'm an even bigger freak then I was before. He'll think I'm crazy."

"Explain it all to him. Tell him about the cluviel dor; tell him what it was, what it could do, and what it did do. If you trust him, tell him."

"I don't know if I can."

"Why?"

"Because I'm scared," Sookie admitted.

"Of what?"

"I'm scared Eric won't look at me in the same way anymore," Sookie whispered. "I'm afraid that if I tell him, I'll see pity or disgust in his eyes when he looks at me. I couldn't bear that."

"You didn't tell him what happened to you?"

"I told him some, but he doesn't know everything. He knows I was raped and by who and how many they were, but he doesn't know the details. How could I tell him my own cousin tied me to a table and let his friends take their turns with me? How could I tell him it wasn't just their bodies they raped me with?"

Diantha could still see the pain in Sookie's eyes and hear it in her voice when she spoke of what happened. She knew for a fact she was the only one who knew everything that had happened to her, the younger woman having confided in her after one of her many nightmares. Not even her uncle knew the true extent of what those bastards did to Sookie. He only knew what he saw when they had burst into that house that fateful day.

Diantha didn't think she would ever forget the sight of a beaten and broken Sookie, chained naked in the middle of the room, her arms bound above her head as she hung from the ceiling, two fairies raping her at the same time while Claude and another laughed at her cries of pain. Diantha hadn't waited a minute, attacking the two hurting Sookie without a hint of remorse before turning on the other while her uncle tore Claude apart. She had unchained Sookie and was tearing the other one apart when Dermot had walked in. Both her and Desmond had gone for him, but they had been shocked when Sookie got to him first and stabbed him through the heart. As they watched him turn to dust, Diantha had realized Sookie wasn't as broken as she thought.

"He might understand," Diantha said finally. "You should tell him; if not what happened, then at least how you can protect yourself. You shouldn't let him worry."

"He'll worry, regardless," Sookie replied. "It won't matter if I can protect myself."

"Just like you still worry about him," Diantha returned. "You may think you hide it, but I know you still worry about him. You never stopped."

"I can't help it. I tried to pretend I don't care, but…"

"You do," Diantha finished for her.

"Yes," Sookie admitted.

"Tell him, Sookie," Diantha urged. "He clearly still cares for you. He came all this way to warn you."

"I know, and despite acting like a ungrateful bitch, I was grateful," Sookie said. "I just… I just don't know what to do. I'm not the only one in danger here; Eric is too. I couldn't bear it if anything happened to him because of me. I don't want him to get hurt because of me."

"And I'm guessing he doesn't want you to get hurt because of him," Diantha replied.

"So what do I do?" Sookie asked, genuinely seeking her advice.

"Go to him. Tell him why you can defend yourself; show him how," Diantha said. "You're stronger together. Uncle always thought so."

"And what about his wife?" Sookie asked. "She already wants me dead. Do you think she'll forget about it and leave us alone, just because me and Eric are stronger together?"

"Probably not."

"She'll never let us be together," Sookie said sadly. "She wouldn't allow it twelve years ago and she isn't going to now. Despite what Eric said, she'll never allow us to be together and there is no way around it."

"So you're just gonna give up?"

"What choice do I have?" Sookie argued. "I told you and Desmond about the contract Appius made with her. Eric tried to find away out of it, but couldn't. He had to marry her and she made it clear I couldn't be with him. The contract backed her up. There was nothing we could do, and there still isn't."

"Does Eric agree with you?"

"No, he said he'd find a way out, and that he'd find away for us to be together again, but he's fooling himself."

"Is he? I don't know him as well as you, but from what I've heard, he always gets what he wants. Have faith in him."

"I have faith in Eric. It's everything else I've lost my faith in."

"I can ask Uncle. He might be able to find a legal loophole," Diantha offered.

"They're already married, Diantha. I don't think a loophole will help," Sookie replied dejectedly.

"It can't hurt to look, and if there's always a few illegal things we could try," Diantha said, smirking mischievously. "Now, why don't you tell why you've got that just fucked look."

"Diantha!" Sookie exclaimed scandalously. "I have no idea what you're talking about, and I'll have none of that nasty talk."

"Right," Diantha drawled. "Your hair looks like you've had someone hands running through it." She flicked her eyes over Sookie. "You're not wearing any underwear. You smell like sex, and you have a huge hickey on your neck."

"What?" Sookie cried, covering her neck with her hand. "Damn it, Eric."

"Ha, so it was Eric then."

"You can't say anything. If she finds out…"

"There'll be hell to pay, I know," Diantha said waving her off. "I won't say anything, you know that. But I want details."

"No," Sookie refused.

"Details," Diantha sang.

"You're a pain; do you know that?"

"Yes, and I still want details."

"Fine," Sookie said, letting out a sigh before telling Diantha all that had transpired that night. She left out some of the more intimate details, not wanting to share them with anyone.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: **Thank you to my beta, Ashensunset. No big author note this time, but you're so going to kill me for this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Despite all their best efforts, neither Eric nor Sookie – with the help of Pam and Desmond – could find a way out. Desmond had gone over the contract with a fine-toothed comb, looking for anything that could have gotten Eric and Sookie out of their predicament, and, unfortunately for them, the only loophole he found was one that could have been used before Eric pledged to Freyda. Desmond made a point to mention that to Eric: the lawyer he had employed should have easily discovered the same loophole and the whole situation could have been avoided. The loophole had been so plain to see, Desmond believed that Eric's lawyer had deliberately ignored it. He knew Eric would deal with the lawyer if he was still around, but Desmond couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't informed Eric of it. Had it been a simple oversight? Could Freyda have paid him off? Or was it something more sinister? Desmond wasn't sure, but he found the whole thing suspect.

Appius's sudden reappearance in Eric's life, the contract he brokered with Freyda, the fairies moving in with Sookie, his own life suddenly being in danger, and him being forced to go on the run meant he couldn't represent Eric and find said loophole. As far as Desmond was concerned, too much happened too quickly for it all to be a coincidence. He was sure someone had been manipulating them for quite a while, and he had a good idea who. He was convinced the prince of the fairies had played a part in all that had happened. Fintan hadn't wanted Niall to be a part of his children's or grandchildren's lives for fear of what would happen – a fear it seemed had been justified. Given all he suspected, Desmond was happy that Sookie could now defend herself against the fairies; he was only sorry how that ability came about. He would have rather had her safe, unharmed, and with the Viking.

It had pained him greatly when he was forced to tell Sookie there was nothing he could do. From a legal standpoint, the pledging between Eric and Freyda was ironclad. It was clear to him that, despite her claims to the contrary, she had believed he would have found a way out for them. He would have given anything to tell her that her and Eric could be together again. Over the years he had come to care a great deal for the little telepath, treating her the same way he did his niece. One thing he knew, though: was he wasn't giving up. There might not be anything he could do from a legal standpoint, but there were other methods, less-legal avenues he could explore. If there were a way for Eric to get out of the pledging, Desmond would find it.

OoOoO

Eric stared out the hotel window, taking in the Stockholm nightlife. The city was alive, pulsing with energy, energizing those who milled around, but Eric felt detached from it all. He could feel his millennium worth of living resting heavily on his shoulders. He had spent the last five nights doing everything he could to find a way out of the mess he found himself in so he could stay with Sookie, but without luck. He had promised Sookie he would find a way out and he intended to keep that promise, but he had foolishly believed he would be able to do it before he had to return to the US and re-consummate the pledging for another year. Now, as he stood in front of his hotel room window, the day before his wedding anniversary, he knew that wasn't possible.

The thought of having to fuck Freyda again – even if it was his usual three thrusts – disgusted him. He didn't want to touch her, to see her, or to even hear her shrill voice, but he knew if he didn't return, she would have him brought before the council before he could blink. There was no telling what they would do. They could censure him, give his states to Freyda, chain him in silver, or worse, make him re-consummate in public before witnesses. Eric had no problem having sex in public, having done it hundreds of times, but he didn't want anyone to witness him being forced to defile himself with her.

For the first time in a long time, Eric didn't know what to do. He knew what he had to do, and what he wanted to do, but he didn't know what to do. He had to return to the US. He had to play the role of King again, but he wasn't sure he could. He couldn't be the same King he was a week ago. Seeing Sookie again, holding her, touching her, being with her had reawakened a part of him that he had buried when she left. He didn't want to go back and be the King; he wanted to stay with Sookie, even if he couldn't actually be with her.

It was bad enough he had to have sex with Freyda; he wouldn't disrespect Sookie by touching anyone else. But that could prove to be a problem. Since taking the throne, he had developed quite the reputation as a playboy King. His sexual appetite was quite the talking point among his subjects, his donor pool having to be constantly replenished due to both his use of them and his lack of regard for their feelings. He had never harmed any of them and never abused them physically or sexually. He had left quite a few of them sore after his use of them, but anything he had done to them had been with their consent. He had never cared for any of them. His words had often been harsh and biting. He had treated them like whores, using their bodies. He had made it clear from the beginning that his only interest in them was sex and blood. He didn't care how their days were or what their families thought of them. He wasn't looking for a pet or a companion. There was no chance of them getting ahead with him. The only thing he wanted from them was for them to get him off. A number of them had fooled themselves into believing he thought more of them then he did the others, that he cared for them, but he had always squashed those beliefs, and usually in the cruelest way possible. He had quite a few donors glamoured and thrown out of his palace for their delusions.

It wouldn't take long for his disinterest and lack of use of his donors to spread. There would be those who would think it would be a sign of weakness: a vampire is supposed to feed and fuck; it is ingrained into their very being. Ones who didn't were considered weak. There would be those who would think it would prove him unfit to rule three states. There would be a strong possibility that he'd find himself challenged. And if word got out that Sookie was the reason why, it would put them both in a great amount of danger – him for breaking the contract and Sookie for what she could do. But regardless of the danger he may face, he would never touch another, Sookie was his 'real wife' he would not disrespect or hurt her just to appease others. There were many in the supernatural world that coveted her for themselves; de Castro hadn't been the only one who had an eye on her, but the only one who had made a play for her. A gifted telepath was something many vampire monarchs wanted, and without the bond, he couldn't stop them from taking her, at least not without going to war. And then there was Freyda. Pam was right when she said she wouldn't sit back and allow Sookie back in his life. There would be no telling the lengths she would go to in order to separate them again. Even though he knew all this, Eric still couldn't let Sookie go; he had tried once and failed. To the outside world it might have looked liked he had moved on from her, but that was all a front.

Eric was pulled from his musings by the sound of Pam entering the hotel room. "Eric, the plane is scheduled to leave in a few hours. We have to go."

"I am aware of that," Eric replied, but made no move to leave.

"What about Sookie?" Pam asked, knowing his reluctance to leave stemmed from her.

"She is still refusing to leave," Eric answered. "She claims she can defend herself."

"Stubborn little fool," Pam snarled. "She's going to get herself killed. Is that what she wants?"

Eric had to admit he was starting to wonder the same thing, her constant refusal to leave, knowing the danger she was in, had him thinking she had a death wish. She had told him repeatedly she could defend herself, but so far he had seen no proof of that. She seemed to play fast and loose with her safety, always being the last to leave her bar and paying little attention to her surroundings. Eric had to wonder if she was doing it unintentionally or if she just didn't care? Had what the fairies done to her broken her? He feared the answer to that question.

"We should just take her back to Louisiana with us," Pam added. "We can arrange guards for her to be safe."

"I am sure she would love that," Eric replied sarcastically, "being kidnapped and held prisoner."

"She'd be safe," Pam argued.

"For how long?" Eric countered. "If we were to kidnap and take her home, how long do you think she would stay with us? I could not and would not hold her against her will indefinitely. She would never forgive me. As soon as I dealt with the Freyda threat, I would let her go and she would leave, and I doubt I would find her again."

"She would be safe," Pam argued again.

"She would hate me."

"So you would rather her be in love with you and in danger, than alone and safe."

"She wouldn't be safe though, Pam," Eric replied sharply, not appreciating Pam's questioning. "You are not foolish enough to believe Freyda is the only threat to her, are you? They are others who seek to use her, exploit her for her abilities. She would be safer with me, but I will not force her to do something she doesn't want to."

"Even if it gets her killed?"

"Taking her back to Louisiana without her permission is not an option, Pam," Eric stated firmly.

"But Eric…"

"No," he growled.

Pam bit back her words, knowing she had pushed him to his limit. "She'd probably stake us anyway."

"I wouldn't want to face her anger if we did; I will say that," Eric said. He knew Pam was only trying to help and he was grateful, but as much as it pained him, he wouldn't take the decision out of Sookie's hands. He wouldn't force her back to Louisiana with him if she didn't want to leave. Too many people had already taken from her without her consent; he wouldn't be one of them.

"So what are we going to do?" Pam asked.

"I spoke with the demon. He assured me he and his niece will watch out for Sookie and try and keep her safe while I deal with Freyda. It is all I can do at the moment, but for now I wish to see her one last time before I am forced to leave."

"May I accompany you?" Pam asked. She wanted to see Sookie again; the two of them hadn't gotten off to the best start that first night in the bar. They had clashed and Pam had soon realized that Sookie was right in saying she wasn't the same girl she had been. Pam found herself liking the new Sookie as much as she liked the old one, and like Eric, wanted her back in their lives. The two of them hadn't had a chance to clear the air properly and Pam wanted to. If Eric found a way to deal with Freyda and be with Sookie again, Pam didn't want past dissent to interfere with their friendship.

"Of course," Eric answered, surprised she was even asking. "Sookie will be at the bar by now."

After checking out of the hotel, Eric informed the driver, who Pam had booked to take them to the airport, to take them to Sookie's bar first. Eric paid little attention to the scenery that passed him by as the driver maneuvered them through the streets of Stockholm, his mind focused solely on Sookie. He had spent most of the last few nights with her. They had spent hours talking, catching up on all they had missed. She told him what her life had been like since she left Bon Temps, but even as she told him, Eric knew she was holding a lot back. Whether it was through fear, shame, or the need to protect him, he didn't know. Eric had spent more than one night with her held securely in his arms while she told him all the places she had been and the things she'd seen. Despite how much he wanted to, he hadn't had sex with her again since that first night. He had craved her, but despite some heated kisses and one very good blowjob, nothing else had happened. It wasn't that neither of them wanted it. They did. But they had decided that until they could be together properly, they would wait. They wanted it all, and they didn't want to have to hide what they were, what they meant to each other. Eric refused to sneak around and hide Sookie. He wouldn't treat her like she was his dirty little secret; he wouldn't make her feel like she was his mistress. She wasn't a whore, and he would be damned if he treated her like one.

The two of them had said their goodbyes the night before, but Eric needed to see her again. He needed to touch her, to hold her, and to kiss her. As they drew nearer to the bar, a sense of unease crept up on him. He didn't need to see the bar to know something was wrong. He could feel it, or rather, he couldn't. He couldn't feel Sookie. He hadn't noticed it earlier, something he berated himself for, but the bond he shared with Sookie was empty. He wasn't feeling anything from her. He knew she was still alive – how he knew, he didn't know – but something deep down inside told him she was. Maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part, but he was clinging to it.

The car hadn't even stopped before Eric leapt out of it and took off in direction of the bar. He could feel Pam hot on his heels but he paid her little attention as he busted through the door to the bar, ignoring the police officer blocking it. No one was going to stop him from entering. The sight that greeted him caused his heart to seize in his chest. The bar had been ransacked. Tables were upturned, chains knocked over, and bottles of alcohol smashed. Broken glass littered the floor. Eric felt dread wash over him when his eyes landed on the broken body of a young man lying in the middle of the bar. From where he stood, Eric could tell he was dead, his neck having been snapped. A quick scent of the air told him the dead man was a werewolf. He looked around desperately in search of Sookie, but even as he looked he knew he wouldn't find her, she wasn't there.

"Excuse me, you shouldn't be in here," a voice said, drawing his attention.

"What happened?" Eric asked, his eyes settling on the blond-haired police officer.

"I'm not at liberty to say."

"Then find me someone who is," Eric growled.

"Who're you?" the police officer, asked eying Eric suspiciously.

"Eric," he heard someone call, before he had a chance to reply.

"Desmond," Eric replied as he turned away from the police officer. He crossed the bar towards the demon lawyer, leaving Pam to deal with the officer who was calling after him. "What happened? Where's Sookie?"

"I don't know, I haven't heard from her since last night. As to what happened, it is unclear. There seem to be conflicting theories. All I know is that Sookie has been missing since early this morning. One of the waitresses reported this when she came into work this afternoon," Desmond said, his eyes flicking over the many police officers milling around the bar disdainfully.

"What theories?" Eric growled.

"Well, it seems that young officer that Pam is talking to thinks this is a simple case of robbery, despite nothing being taken and Sookie being missing. He seemed quite adamant about this," Desmond replied. "Detective Regan believes otherwise."

"What does she think?" Eric asked, glaring at the detective who was interviewing one of the waitresses.

"She believes, given Sookie's reputation, that she was kidnapped by either a spurred lover or a jealous wife or girlfriend," Desmond answered, not bothering to sugar coat his words. "She's under the impression that Sookie has gotten what she deserved, due to her promiscuous nature."

Eric growled at the woman across the room. It took centuries of control to stop him from stalking across the room and snapping the woman's neck.

"She isn't far off," Pam said as she joined them, having gotten all she needed from the young police officer. "I would say a jealous wife is behind this."

"Pam," Eric growled in warning.

"Come on, Eric, we know she's behind this," Pam argued.

"I would have to agree," Desmond added. "Although I am curious how she managed it. Most find it difficult to get within even touching distance of Sookie these days." Seeing Eric and Pam's skeptical looks, he added, "Just because you don't believe her when she says she can protect herself, doesn't mean she isn't telling the truth."

"Doesn't this place have any surveillance cameras?" Pam asked, not wanting to get into another argument about Sookie being able to protect herself. As far as she was concerned, her being kidnapped was proof she couldn't.

"It does, but it seems there was some kind of error and they didn't capture the incident," Desmond answered, not hiding the suspicion in his voice.

"You think whoever took her had help from the inside?" Eric asked, rejoining the conversation.

"We know who took her," Pam snarled.

"We know, or suspect who they were working for," Eric countered. "In case you haven't realized Pam, Sookie was taken this morning, while the sun was up, so she couldn't have done it personally. We need to know who she hired, who took her, so we can find her."

"I find it unlikely that they had help from the inside," Desmond said, answering Eric's original question. "Sookie reads her employees regularly. She would have known if she had a spy in her midst. I am more intrigued by the young officer over there. It seems he had decided it was a robbery before he even stepped foot in the bar. In fact, he was the first one on the scene with his partner."

"You think he's involved?" Eric asked.

"I do," Desmond admitted. "In fact, I know he is."

"How do you know?" Eric questioned.

"We all have our secrets Eric," Desmond replied cryptically. "What I will tell you is that he wiped the surveillance footage, as he was paid to do. He doesn't know where she is, or what is going to happen to her. He was just paid to cover her disappearance. He was supposed to make it look just like a robbery."

"He doesn't know where she is? Where she was taken?" Pam asked.

"No, his only role was to do the clean up," Desmond answered. "But we do know where she is, or where she is heading at least."

"Oklahoma," Eric growled.

"That would be my guess. I would guess Freyda wouldn't go to all the trouble of finding and kidnapping her if she wasn't going to use her against you," Desmond said. "Which means she is probably still alive. For now at least."

"Yes, Freyda will try to use Sookie to get you to do as she wants," Pam added. "She will probably threaten to hurt her if you don't do as she wishes."

"I will kill her," Eric swore. "If she hurts her in any way, I will rip her apart."

"I suggest you both return to the US right away," Desmond urged. "Find Sookie before it's too late. I will deal with everything here."

Eric was halfway out the bar before Desmond had even finished speaking. He jumped back into the car and ordered the driver to get them to the airport as quickly as possible, his mind once again fixed on Sookie. He cursed himself and her. He should have done as Pam suggested and just taken Sookie. She might have hated him for it, but at least she would have been safe. He knew the threat she faced, and he had done nothing but warn her about it. He had foolishly left her on her alone and unprotected. It was like what happened with the fairies all over again. As they sped through the streets of Stockholm, Eric swore if Freyda hurt her in any way she would pay. He didn't care about the consequences or what it would cost him. He would tear Freyda limb from limb, and nothing and no one would stop him.

* * *

I'll post the next chapter tonight, so you won't have long to wait.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: **Thank you to my beta, Ashensunset. Thank you again to everyone who is reading whether you review or not, it means a lot to me. I love reading all your guess about what you think happened.

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**Chapter Ten **

Eric had to restrain himself from ripping the door of the plane as it landed in Oklahoma. The knowledge that Sookie had been in Freyda's possession caused his heart to clench. There was no telling what the queen had done to her. Eric swore if Freyda had hurt Sookie in anyway he would kill her. He didn't care what it meant for him, he would make Freyda pay.

"Eric calm down," Pam said, moving closer to him as she waited for the plane to come to a stop. She didn't care how many rules they were breaking by being out of their seats during landing. There wasn't anyone to see them anyway, seeing how Eric had glamoured the over friendly air stewardess to stay away from them just because she'd offered him a blood and a blowjob. That was something Pam wasn't happy about. She'd wanted to have a taste of the perky brunette.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Pam," Eric growled refusing to wait any longer, he pulled the handle on the airplane door and popped it open. Jumping out the plane, Eric took to the sky, pushing himself harder then he ever had before as he headed to Freyda's palace. As he flew, he couldn't stop himself from remembering the last time Sookie had been kidnapped when he had sworn to protect her. He still remembered the horror he felt when he heard Neave and Lochlan had taken her. He remembered her pain and how powerless he was to help her due to Victor Madden's interference. Eric swore he wouldn't fail her again. He would take Freyda's head and damn the consequences.

It felt like hours, but in reality were only minutes later when he saw Freyda's palace come into view. Slowing his speed, he lowered himself to the ground landing with a loud 'thud' alerting everyone to his presences. He paid little attention to the guards as he moved towards the front door. Pushing it open, Eric strode inside as was surprised to see complete pandemonium. Vampires and humans were all running around like headless chickens, none of them seem to know what they should be doing. Eric wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived, but this definitely wasn't it.

"Oh your majesty," he heard someone call. Turning his head to look for who had spoken. He vaguely recognized her as someone he had fucked during one of his previous visits. "It's terrible."

"What is?" Eric growled impatiently.

"The Queen's dead," she cried as she moved closer to him.

"What?" Eric asked shocked that was the last thing he expected to hear.

"The Queen's been killed," she said with tears streaming down her cheeks. She threw herself at Eric her arms going round his waist as she cried into his chest. "It's just awful." She ran her hands up his back as she pressed her breasts into his chest. "I'm so sorry. If there is _anything _I can do your majesty all you have to do is ask. I will be more than willing."

Shoving her away, Eric stared at her in disgust, as the scent of her arousal filled his nose. He couldn't believe she had actually offered herself to him seconds after telling him Freyda was dead. It may have been well known he hated Freyda, but most people would have had enough shame not to offer sex as quickly as she had.

"The only thing I want from you is for you to get out of my sight," Eric spat making her whimper.

After dismissing the blood whore, Eric stalked through the palace towards Freyda's chambers; the sight that greeted him as he entered the room was shocking but not unwelcome. Seeing one of Freyda's guards, Eric crossed the room to her.

"What happened?"

"The Queen's dead," she replied.

"I see that," Eric said staring at the blood stained bed. He ran his eyes over the bed noticing the broken bedpost; he fought to keep a smirk off his face at the bloody bedding knowing that's where Freyda met her end. He flicked his eyes over the rest of the room, and he raised an eyebrow at the second bloody mess by the door. He wondered briefly how he had missed it when he came in before shaking it off. "Who's that?" he asked, pointing to the bloody stain.

"Marietta," the guard answered.

Eric barely kept the shock of his face at hearing both the Queen and her child had been killed. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened and where the hell was Sookie. "What happened, Shannon?"

"It's unclear your majesty," Shannon replied. "The Queen has… had been extremely secretive of late. She had been ignoring her duties and staying in her chambers. She rarely ventured out, having us bring donors to her. She had been waiting Marietta's return anxiously…"

"Marietta had been away?" Eric asked cutting her off.

"Yes, she left five nights ago. The Queen sent her on a mission; none of us knew what though."

Eric quickly realized where Freyda had sent Marietta; she had sent her after Sookie. As he looked at the stain that used to be Marietta, Eric thought she was lucky she was dead because he would have made her suffer for the part she played in Sookie's kidnapping. Although that might have been Freyda's plan, he thought. He wouldn't have put it past her to sacrifice her child in such a way.

"When did she return?" Eric asked.

"Today," Shannon answered. "She returned sometime this afternoon while we were all dead for the day. Her travel coffin was dropped off by Anubis Air."

"What is known of what happened here tonight?" Eric asked wanting to know if anyone else knew where Sookie was or what had happened to her. He still couldn't feel her through the bond, and he was starting to think the worst.

"Not a lot I'm afraid your majesty," Shannon replied. "The Queen demanded a donor as soon as she rose and one was brought to her, at which point she ordered everyone to stay away from her chambers for the rest of the evening."

"Who found her?"

"I did about ninety minutes ago."

"If you were ordered to stay away, why did you approach her?" Eric asked.

"I was concerned," Shannon explained. "I was told that Marietta had suddenly sped through the palace heading towards the Queen's chambers. I was told she was feeding on a donor at the time, which in itself is curious. She didn't heal the donors bite marks; she just jumped up and sped off."

"Why did you find Marietta feeding off a donor curious?"

"The Queen forbade her from being with them in any way as punishment for something that happened last year."

Eric couldn't hold back the smirk as he realized what she was talking about. Freyda had punished her for fucking him. But, if Marietta had been with a donor that meant Freyda had lifted the punishment, probably in reward for finding Sookie, Eric deduced; but it seemed like no one else knew that. Had Freyda really kept her search for Sookie a secret from her own people? He knew from his spy that she was keeping it close to the chest, but were Marietta and the Weres who took Sookie the only ones who knew? If they were, it would be convenient if no one else would know of Sookie's kidnapping, but that didn't answer the question of where Sookie was.

"So Freyda met the true death; Marietta was feeding on a donor, and then she too met the true death," Eric summarized deliberately making it sound like Freyda died first. If he could push the spotlight on Marietta and away from Sookie, he would. He didn't want anyone knowing about them kidnapping her unless he couldn't avoid it.

"You think Marietta killed the Queen?" Shannon asked, unable to hide her shock.

"Is it one possibility," Eric replied.

"But that's not possible, Marietta wouldn't ever hurt…" Shannon trailed of as she thought about it. She started to wonder if Marietta would be capable of it. After all, it was only a year ago that the Queen had caught Marietta fucking Eric in the Queen's own bed. Freyda had punished Marietta severely for it. Shannon herself had been present in the throne room numerous times over the last year and witnessed Marietta crawl on her hands and knees across the room before performing oral sex on the Queen. Shannon had known how humiliated Marietta felt; she could see it on her face every time, and it had only gotten worse.

Around two months ago, the Queen had been in a particularly cruel mood, and on that night she had commanded Marietta to perform oral sex on others in the room as well. There had been around thirty people, vampires and humans, and she had forced Marietta to service them all. She had tethered her child to her side making her kneel by her feet like a pet, and every time someone entered the room she offered them Marietta's mouth. Shannon remembered the look of hatred on Marietta's face every time Freyda offered her to someone else. By time Freyda had finished holding court, Marietta had been covered in cum and Freyda had refused to allow her to clean herself. As she thought about it she wondered had Freyda pushed Marietta too far? Had Marietta killed her maker and Queen?

Eric watched as Shannon carefully put everything together, he needed her to be the one to put the theory of Marietta killing Freyda forward. He needed to distance himself from it even though he had an alibi, and there was no way they could pin it on him. When Freyda's remains were discovered he was halfway over the Atlantic Ocean, but he had to divert attention away from Freyda sending Marietta on a mission. He couldn't risk them linking it to Sookie in anyway, for her safety and his own. If they discovered Freyda's was looking for Sookie, it wouldn't take them long to try and lay the blame on him, and him being thousands of miles away wouldn't stop them. Everyone knew he hated Freyda. They wouldn't believe any investigation he may lead into her death, but if one of her own guards voiced the opinion that her own child killed her, it would go a long way convincing people.

As he eyed her, Eric couldn't help but compare her to his own guards. He could say with almost certainty that none of his guards would be as free with information as she was being. They would have closed ranks and said nothing, regardless of who was asking. They would have treated everyone with suspicion and interrogated everyone and not offered an explanation. As one of the Queen's personal guards, Shannon should have at least asked him where he was at the time of the Queen's believed death. Even as a King and especially knowing how much he despised Freyda, he should have been the number one suspect. Shannon knew of his deep-seated hatred for Freyda having been seduced by him six years earlier. Eric always wondered why Freyda kept her as one of her guards, knowing that he had fucked her. But then he thought, if Freyda replaced every women in the palace he had fucked she would have had to replace practically all of them. Was Shannon telling him everything due to their past encounter, an encounter that meant nothing to him? If that was the case he would certainly use it to his advantage.

"But if Marietta killed the Queen," Shannon said finally. "Who killed Marietta?"

"There was no one else in the room?" Eric questioned. "What about the donor Freyda requested earlier?"

"She claims she was dismissed when Marietta arrived to see the Queen."

"The donor claims Marietta was the last to see Freyda alive?"

"Yes, she said…" Shannon paused the more she thought about it the more she was convinced Marietta had killed the Queen. There was no other explanation. No one other than Marietta and the donor had seen the Queen, and there was no way the donor could have done it. They would have been able to smell Freyda's blood on her, but Marietta could have done it, and Shannon believed she had. Although how she ended up meeting the final death wasn't clear, unless, had Marietta killed herself? Or had Freyda managed to issue one final command? Had she commanded her child to kill herself? Shannon wasn't sure and she didn't think she ever would be. She would put her theory to the council and it would be up to them to decide whether to investigate or not.

Turning her attention back to Eric, she smiled coyly, "Will you be taking over the rule of Oklahoma now your majesty?"

"That will be for the council to decide," Eric replied. He had no desire to rule the state. In fact, he would be happy to never step foot in it again.

"I'm sure the council will see the wisdom of gifting you with the state," Shannon said as she ran her eyes over him. "And if they do I will do everything I can the transition of power go as smoothly as possible."

Eric didn't bother to reply as he spun on his heels.

"You're leaving your majesty?" Shannon said.

"There is no reason for me to stay any longer," Eric replied. "My reason for being here tonight is a puddle on the bed. I will be returning to Louisiana."

"Can I get you a donor before you leave?" Shannon asked trying to prolong his stay.

"No," Eric barked as he stalked out the room. Stopping just out of view, Eric took a deep breath scenting the air trying to find a trace of Sookie, but there were too many scents overlaying each other making it near impossible for him to pick up a single scent.

_Where are you lover? _Eric thought as he headed out the palace. Once he was clear he took to the sky again heading back to the private airstrip where his plane was waiting.

It was barely five minutes when Eric landed on the tarmac by the plane; he had no intention of leaving Oklahoma until he had found Sookie, but he needed to make it look like he was. Entering the plane, Eric growled to not find Pam waiting for him. He could feel she was close by, and by the amount of lust he was feeling from her, he assumed she was with the air stewardess. Eric swore if she was getting a feed and fuck while she knew Sookie was missing, he would punish her.

Stepping into the back of the plane, Eric froze unable to believe his eyes. A blood-spattered Sookie was sitting on one of the seats.

"Happy anniversary, Eric," she greeted. "Your wife's dead."

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I'll let you in on a little secret, that last line was one of the first I came up with. I had that line in my head all the way back since chapter two.

There is only three chapters left of this now. Two regular and the epilogue. I'm gonna miss the when it's finished. Sorry I didn't answer any of your reviews this time, I'm not feeling too good at the moment.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: **Thank you to my beta, Ashensunset. Thank you also to everyone who read/reviewed the last chapter, and every chapter before. I'm feeling a bit better today, so on with the show.

Let's see what Sookie has been up to.

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**Chapter Eleven**

_Earlier that Day_

Sookie groaned as she drifted back into awareness; slowing opening her eyes, she blinked at the harsh lights above her. Dragging herself into a sitting position, she rested her back against the cold wall and closed her eyes as she tried to shake off the cobwebs. Taking a deep breath, she searched her memories for what had happened. She remembered being at the bar, she had a early morning delivery and she was just restocking the bar when… "Ahhh!" she groaned as she recalled the events. She had been attacked by four werewolves; she had killed one and injured another to the point she doubted he'd ever be able to have children, or get an erection for that matter, before the other two had subdued her. Eric was never gonna let her hear the end of this.

Opening her eyes, Sookie took in her surroundings. "Definitely a prisoner," she whispered as she ran her eyes over the bare room. It couldn't have been more than eight by eight feet in size with no furniture, no windows, just four walls and a heavy looking steel door. Resting her head against the wall, Sookie sighed as she dropped her shields, scanning her surroundings. She wasn't surprised to hear everyone thinking in English, having already guessed where she was.

_Guess I'll be meeting the new wife soon._

Sookie scanned through the minds of everyone in the house as she waited to be let out of her cell. In the past she had tried to stay out of everyone's minds, trying to respect their privacy. Now, however, she knew better. She skipped from one human to the next, learning all she could from the dozen or so humans in the building. She was surprised to discover that none of them seemed to know she was there, but she filed that little snippet away for later as she set about getting a decent layout of the place where she was being held. She also confirmed she was in Oklahoma, at the palace of Freyda.

_At least I didn't have to pay the airfare. _

Leaving her shields down, Sookie closed her eyes again as she just listened. She could tell it was getting close to sunset by the increase in activity, and she began to prepare herself for what was about to happen. As she waited, she started to count how many times she had been kidnapped; she got up to four when she had to chuckle.

_Most people would be freaking out if they were kidnapped, but me, I try to work out how many times this makes. _

It was a few hours later when she sensed a void approaching her cell; she made no attempt to get up as the door swung open. "I was starting to think you'd all forgot about me," she said as she stared at the vampire by the open door. She recognized the vampire from the mind of Marcus as the one Freyda had made suck him off; from talking to Eric she knew who she was and why Freyda had sent her after her.

"The Queen will see you now," Marietta said.

"Fine, show her in then," Sookie replied smirking.

"Get up," Marietta ordered.

"Okay," Sookie said, sighing as she slowly climbed to her feet. She waved towards the door, "lead the way."

Marietta glared at Sookie before leading her out the cell. Gripping her arm tightly she dragged Sookie through the palace, careful to make sure no one saw them as she lead her towards Freyda's chambers. Knocking on the heavy wooden door, Marietta waited for her invitation to enter.

Sookie rolled her eyes at Freyda making them wait. She could hear her behind the door, and she could hear the thoughts of a donor as she fed and pleasured the Queen.

It was nearly twenty minutes later when Freyda bid them entry, dismissing the donor as the two of them entered. A quick dip into the donors mind as she left told Sookie she had been heavily glamoured. She wasn't even aware Sookie was in the room.

"Your majesty," Marietta greeted bowing before her Queen. She yanked on Sookie's arm, digging her nails into her flesh. "Bow before your Queen."

"I would, but Sophie-Anne met the true death a long time ago. She isn't my Queen," Sookie hissed.

"Marietta that will be all," Freyda said. "You have done me proud child. I lift your punishment. Go enjoy yourself a donor."

"Yes my Queen; thank you my Queen," Marietta gushed as she backed out the room leaving Sookie alone with Freyda.

The two of them stared at each other, neither willing to look away as they sized each other up.

"So you're what all the fuss is about," Freyda said breaking the silence. "Frankly I'm not impressed."

Sookie chuckled as she remembered another Queen saying something similar to her years ago. Although as far as she could tell, Freyda had none of the style or class Sophie-Anne had. Sookie ran her eyes over Freyda in a degrading manner, "Funny, I was just about to say the same thing about you."

"You know who I am?" Freyda asked glaring at her.

"I know what you are," Sookie replied.

"Eric's wife," Freyda crooned smugly.

"The sad little Queen who had to make a deal with his maker before she could even get Eric look at her. It's quite pathetic really, but I can understand why you did. Eric is one of a kind. Who wouldn't want him? It's a shame you're not his type. _My_ Eric…"

"He is not yours," Freyda snarled cutting her off. "He's mine, my husband…"

"But not by choice," Sookie interrupted. "You had to force him into it. When Eric married me it was because he wanted to, because he loved me. You may be married to him, but he'll never be yours and you know it. He's mine; he's always been mine and always will be. I'm the one he loves and doesn't that just kill you."

"You insolent little blood bag," Freyda spat as she backhanded Sookie splitting her lip open. "How dare you talk to me like that? I am a Queen."

"But you're not my Queen," Sookie replied repeating her earlier words as she wiped away the blood. "And from what I've heard you're a rather poor Queen."

"I am a great Queen."

"You really are quite deluded aren't you?" Sookie said with mock concern. "Next you'll be telling me that Eric really loves you."

Freyda glared at Sookie hatred burning brightly in her eyes. In her two centuries as a vampire, she had never hated someone more. She wanted to tear her apart, make her scream and cry and beg for mercy. She wanted to destroy her, to break her down until she was nothing. She wanted her to suffer. Freyda had spent most of the last year planning, waiting for this moment. She had thought about it so often, the moment she would have Sookie Stackhouse in front of her. She wanted to know what made her so special that Eric loved her. She wanted to punish her for that, for having his love, when the queen only had his scorn. Eric was supposed to have forgotten about Sookie by now; he was supposed to have realized that she was the better woman for him. She hated Sookie for it, for having his love. She hated that despite her best efforts, she couldn't break the hold the younger woman had on Eric.

As she stared at her, Freyda wondered what it was about her that Eric loved. She didn't see what was so special. Freyda didn't think she was that pretty, believing herself to be far more beautiful. She couldn't understand why Eric preferred Sookie to her. As far as Freyda was concerned, she was prettier, clever, more successful, and more sophisticated. She was everything Sookie wasn't. She was certainly more cunning; she had proven that by having Sookie kidnapped and flown back to Oklahoma. Freyda smiled as she thought of how she managed it all. After months of searching without any luck, she had some dropped in her lap. She had received an anonymous message telling her that Eric was aware of her search for Sookie and was looking for her himself. At first she had been furious, not only that he knew, knowing that meant she had a spy in her midst, but that he was actually looking for her himself. She knew he was doing it because he wanted to protect Sookie from her. He wasn't supposed to know until it was too late for him to do anything about it. The message she received had been brief but to the point. It had contained the name of someone Eric had hired to find her with the news that he was close to finding her. It also stated that he could be easily brought for the right price.

Freyda had quickly ordered Marietta to find the man and bring him to her. The message that he could be easily bought had proven to be true; for the price of a hundred-fifty thousand dollars and seven nights in her bed, he had agreed to betray Eric and work for her. As a bonus she had ordered Marietta to suck him off every night. Freyda had been ecstatic when Marcus had contacted Marietta with the news he had found Sookie. Her joy at the news had quickly diminished when she had heard Eric had left Louisiana for parts unknown. While others hadn't known where he was going, Freyda had. She knew where he was going and why. She hadn't hesitated to send Marietta to go and get the girl for her, but her child had quickly reported back that she couldn't get close to her. Eric and his child were with her every night; there would have been no way for her to get to Sookie without Eric and Pam knowing about it. Realizing she had to take her during the day while Eric and Pam were down, Freyda had hired some werewolves from the local pack. They had always been willing to do any job no matter how unsavory for the right price, a price Freyda was more than willing to pay.

The four of them had managed to subdue Sookie and get her back to Oklahoma without detection. Although Freyda had been disconcerted to hear that Sookie had killed one and seriously injured another before they had managed to knock her out, from what she had heard about the girl she couldn't say she was too surprised that she had tried to defend herself, but that no longer mattered. She had the girl now and by now Eric no doubt would be on his way back. Freyda smiled devilishly at the thought. She couldn't wait to see his face when he realized she now held all the power. He wouldn't humiliate her again. He would do what she wanted if he didn't want to see Sookie hurt. She would make him pay for the years of humiliation he had heaped upon her, and she would make Sookie pay for having his heart. It would start tonight. It seemed fitting that in a few short hours it would be their anniversary. Eric would soon find out this anniversary would be different from every other; tonight she called the shots. Freyda was determined to enjoy this one. She would make Eric worship her body for hours. He would bring her to completion numerous times with his hands and mouth before she would make him make love to her, and she would make Sookie watch it all. She would tie his whore to a chair and make her watch him fuck her.

_Or, I'll tie her to the bed and we can fuck on her, _Freyda thought cruelly.

"Whatever you're planning, it ain't gonna work," Sookie said bringing Freyda back into the now.

"It already has," Freyda replied arrogantly. "I have you and soon Eric will be here and…"

"Let me guess," Sookie interrupted. "You'll threaten my life to get him to do whatever you want. If that's your big plan it sucks and it definitely won't work."

"Everyone knows you're Eric's biggest weakness; he'll do anything to keep you safe," Freyda retorted angrily not liking having her plan called into question.

"I might be Eric's biggest weakness, but I'm also his greatest strength," Sookie said with conviction. "He will do anything to keep me safe including killing for me. If you honestly think Eric is going to bow down to you then you're an even bigger fool than I thought."

"He won't have a choice," Freyda snarled. "If he doesn't want to see you hurt, he'll do as I say. He's not going to risk his precious Sookie."

"You can't honestly believe that," Sookie scoffed. "What, you think you'll threaten me, and Eric will just drop to his knees and do anything you say?"

"Yes. He'll finally start acting like the husband he should have been from the start. He won't have a choice; I'll make him sorry for all the disrespect he has shown me. I will humiliate him like he has done me. I'll make you watch while he fucks me. I'll make him watch while I fuck you. He'll be powerless to stop me."

"You're crazy; do you know that?" Sookie asked eyeing her carefully.

"No I am not!" Freyda screeched.

"Yeah, you are. Crazy and stupid. I mean Pam told me you were, but I thought she had to be exaggerating. But obviously she wasn't," Sookie said. "Crazy and stupid; that's not a good combination."

"How dare you speak of me like that!" Freyda shouted.

"I'm only speaking the truth," Sookie defended. "I mean, you must be stupid if you think your idiotic plan will work," Sookie's voice dropped her tone becoming serious as a hard look entered her eyes. "Eric will kill you before you even open your mouth. You'll just be a nasty stain on the carpet. You won't make me watch while you fuck him, but me and _my Eric _will fuck on your remains."

"You will not touch him," Freyda snarled. "I won't allow it."

"You won't be able to stop it," Sookie said. "Just like you couldn't stop it last week when Eric made love to me."

"No," Freyda screeched. "Eric is mine. It is not allowed. You can't touch him."

"But I did. I did a lot more then just touch him," Sookie taunted. "I made him scream my name, just as he made me scream his, but I'm sure you know what that's like. . . . Oh wait, you don't," she laughed mockingly. "Eric told me all about your wedding night. He told me he preferred to be chained naked in silver than touch you. Your wedding night was so different from ours. I mean, Eric made love to me for hours and he fed me his blood. You didn't even get a minute with him. It's quite sad really, but then I don't suppose you'll have to worry about that much longer; you'll be out of his life soon."

"I'll never be out of his life. He is mine, my husband."

"Not for much longer. I'm back now, and I'm reclaiming what's mine. And Eric is mine," Sookie said firmly.

"No!" Freyda screeched her anger and hatred meshing together. The knowledge that Eric had been with Sookie caused something inside her to snap. She had suffered through thirteen years of humiliation and disrespect, but now he had gone too far. All her careful planning went out the window as she launched herself at Sookie.

Anticipating the attack, Sookie spun on her heels just as Freyda reached her. Grabbing her by the back of the neck, she used Freyda's own momentum against her and threw her across the room, crashing her into the wall. Crouching down in an attacking position, Sookie eyed the vampire Queen as she climbed to her feet, smirking at the look of hatred on her face.

"I will kill you," Freyda swore glaring daggers at her.

"I think you'll find that's easier said than done," Sookie retorted.

"I'll strip the flesh from your bones. I'll eat your heart," Freyda threatened as she advanced on Sookie. "I'll…"

"Die," Sookie interrupted. "You'll die. You'll meet the true death here tonight."

"You think you can kill me?" Freyda scoffed. "I'm a vampire, you are…"

"Something you've never faced before," Sookie said cutting her off again, "and by my hands or Eric's, you will die tonight."

"I will kill you and then I will make my husband pay for his transgressions," Freyda swore.

"You'll never touch him again," Sookie said firmly.

"You think you can stop me?" Freyda asked laughing.

"I know I can," Sookie replied before leaping at her.

The sudden attack took Freyda by surprise and she could do little to defend herself. Sookie's knee connected with her stomach before she even saw her move, the blow causing her to double over. Freyda lashed out at Sookie but got nothing but air. Her eyes widened as she realized Sookie was moving faster than a human should be able.

"What are you?" She growled as her fangs snapped down.

Tilting her head back, Sookie smirked at Freyda, "Something new." She purred as a set of fangs slid down into place.

Freyda took a step back in shock as she eyed Sookie, "You're a vampire."

"Don't be stupid," Sookie chided. "I have a heartbeat and your pet wolves took me in the daytime. I was starting to think they were never going to attack me."

"You knew who they were? Why they were there?"

"Of course," Sookie replied like it was the most obvious thing in the word.

"Then why? How?" Freyda said struggling to understand.

"Well you went to all the trouble of arranging it, it seemed rude to refuse," Sookie replied.

A look of disbelief swept across Freyda face as she realized she had been played. The werewolves who had subdued and kidnapped Sookie had been allowed to take her. Sookie knew whom they were working for all along and why.

"Finally getting it are we?" Sookie said smirking.

"You set all this up," Freyda accused.

"No, I just took advantage of your stupidity," Sookie retorted. "You should've left me alone. It could've all be avoided if you had, but I suppose I should thank you; you have brought me and Eric back together."

"Not for long," Freyda snarled flying at Sookie. She crashed into her sending them both tumbling to the floor. She straddled Sookie's hips as her hands went to her head, intending to snap her neck.

Sookie bucked her hips causing Freyda to stumble, and letting the telepath get her hands between them; she shoved Freyda back, sending her flying across the room. Jumping to her feet, Sookie charged at Freyda. Years of pent up anger and hatred fueled her attack. Tackling Freyda to the ground, she pinned her body to the floor and rained down blow after blow on her breaking Freyda's jaw and her own hand in the process. Sookie let the pain wash over her as she continued to punish the vampire Queen who had stole her husband.

Freyda tried desperately to protect herself from the flurry of blows, but she was unprepared for such a vicious attack. She had foolishly underestimated Sookie, believing her to be just another weak human. However, it was clear to her now that Sookie was anything but weak, nor was she human; she was something much, much, more, but what Freyda didn't know. Freyda clawed at Sookie, scratching anything she could reach as she tried to shake her off.

Sookie was lost to the blood lust as she continued to hit Freyda. She could hear Freyda's bones breaking beneath her fists; the sound of her pain-filled moans filling the room. Grabbing her by the hair, Sookie yanked Freyda to her feet and threw her on the bed. She stalked towards her, murderous intentions reflected in her eyes. Reaching the bed, Sookie broke one of the bedposts off, her eyes fixed on the bloody and battered Queen the entire time.

Freyda stared at Sookie as she drew nearer, fear clear in her eyes. She couldn't believe what had happened. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Sookie was supposed to be the one broken, bloodied, and cowering away from her, not the other way round. Eric was supposed to see the pitiful condition she was in and agree to do anything his queen desired to prevent it happening again.

"Any last words?" Sookie asked as she climbed on the bed and straddled Freyda's chest.

"You won't keep him." Freyda snarled repeating the words Appius' spoke the night he met the true death.

"Oh but I will."

"He'll be blamed for my death," Freyda spat. "He'll be sentenced to the true death. All you'll do is confirm his death."

"But your majesty," Sookie mocked. "Eric is currently thousands of miles away somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. There is no way he could've killed you, and everyone knows Eric wouldn't be stupid enough to have killed you on the night he's supposed to meet you."

Freyda's eyes widened as the truth of what Sookie said hit her. It would be easy for Eric to prove he wasn't in Oklahoma or even the country when she met the final death and Sookie was right that no one would believe Eric would kill her on their anniversary. Freyda deliberately had Sookie kidnapped and flown over during the day so Eric couldn't help her and she would have a few hours to play with her first, but that had backfired royally. In her desire to hurt Eric, she had given him the perfect alibi.

Refusing to give up, Freyda tried to throw Sookie off her. She bucked her hips in the same way Sookie had in an attempt to dislodge her.

"Ah-ha," Sookie said as she head butted Freyda hard, smashing her nose. She pinned the vampire's arms above her head. "That was naughty," she chided before burying her fangs into her neck; she pulled hard on the wound ignoring Freyda's struggles.

In a last ditch attempt to save herself, Freyda used the bond she had with Marietta to call her child to her.

Sitting up, Sookie smirked down at Freyda her mouth all bloody. "Nice try," she said knowing full well what she had done, "but not good enough. Say hello to Appius for me," she added as she brought the broken bedpost down hard piercing Freyda's flesh and driving it deep into her heart. Sookie jumped off Freyda as her body began to collapse on itself, blood spewing from her mouth as she began to flake away.

_Why can't they all die like they do on Buffy? _Sookie thought as she tried to wipe away the splatters of blood that had landed on her, noticing her bloody hands for the first time. "Oh God!"

Her attention was drawn to a void moving at alarming speed towards her. Grabbing the bloody stake, Sookie ran to the door and waited. It was only second later that Marietta came speeding through the door. Not hesitating for a second, Sookie thrust the stake hard into Marietta's chest. "Sorry," she whispered.

A look of shock registered on Marietta's face before her body began collapsing on itself, and she followed her maker into the true death.

Taking a step back, Sookie surveyed the carnage she had caused. She felt a tinge of guilt as she stared at Marietta's remains, but quickly reminded herself that it was them or her, and she had decided a long time ago she would always choose herself. Closing her eyes, Sookie took a deep breath and scanned the building. She located where everyone was and set about finding a way out. With a bit of luck, she would be far away before anyone discovered their Queen was finally dead.

* * *

I love badass Sookie. Two more chapters to go, but I might have some good news about this fic soon. Next chapter will be going up tonight.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: **Thank you to my beta, Ashensunset. I can't believe the reaction to the last chapter, I got 28 reviews in about 7 hours. Thank you all so much. I'm posting this chapter early as a thank you.

We finally get to find out what is up with Sookie. Well you lot do, I already know.

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**Chapter Twelve**

_Present Time_

"Sookie," Eric croaked scarcely believing his eyes. She was there. Bloody, but somehow in front of him, and on his plane at that.

"Eric, are you okay?" Sookie asked concerned.

The concern in Sookie's voice snapped Eric out of it. He sped across the plane to her. Grabbing her by the upper arms he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. Holding her tight, Eric struggled to believe she was actually there. He ran his hands over her, searching for any sign of injury as he breathed her in. As he held her, he felt their bond spring back to life, and Eric felt his shoulders relax as he could once again feel her. He basked in the feelings, content to just hold her.

"I'm sorry," Sookie whispered.

"What are you sorry for, lover?" Eric asked placing a gentle kiss on her head as a wave of her sorrow washed over him.

"For worrying you, for being stubborn, for not telling you how I can defend myself," Sookie replied naming just a few things she was sorry for.

"It is okay," Eric assured her happy to have her in his arms again.

"No it's not," Sookie argued.

"Still so stubborn," Eric replied making Sookie snort with laughter. "What happened lover?"

Tilting her head up so she could look at him, Sookie smiled slightly, "Is it safe to talk here?"

"No," Eric admitted as he surveyed their surroundings. There was no way he could assume no one was listening in. They would have to wait until they were back in Louisiana until they could discuss what happened. He called Pam to him, uncaring that she was feeding, and he turned to face the door of the plane, Sookie still held firmly in his arms.

It was less then a minute later when Pam came storming through the door, a snarl etched firmly on her face, her lips stained with blood. Her eyes widened as she saw Sookie at his side.

"Do not look at me like that, Pamela," Eric growled angrily. The look on her face as she saw Sookie told him she had no idea she was there beforehand. He was furious at her for getting a quick feed and fuck while she knew Sookie was missing. "Inform the pilot that I want to return to Louisiana immediately."

"Eric…"

"Do as I say," Eric snarled in no mood for her to question him.

Sensing his anger, Pam lowered her head and moved to do as he ordered. She wasn't sure why he was angry with her, but she had no intention of aggravating him further.

Sinking down into one of the seats, Eric pulled Sookie onto his lap, refusing to let her go. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her again. He had no idea what had happened or how she had escaped Freyda, but at that moment he didn't care. He was just happy she had.

The trip back to Louisiana passed in silence, none of them willing to speak. Once the plane touched down on the private airstrip just outside New Orleans, Eric ordered Pam back to the royal residence, instructing her to deal with any business that had come up in his absences. Finally realizing why he was angry with her, Pam eagerly complied, not wish to provoke his ire any further by arguing with him.

"Aren't you going with her?" Sookie asked as she watched Pam drive away in the car that had been waiting for her.

"No lover, we need to talk without any interruptions," Eric replied. "I have another house not too far from here. It is very private, only Pam knows of it."

"Okay," Sookie said.

Pulling her to him, Eric wrapped his arms around her, "Hold on tight," he instructed as he shot up into the air. He chucked at the shriek of surprise Sookie gave as she tightened her arms around him and wrapped her legs around his waist.

It was only ten minutes later when Eric touched down in the backyard of his property. He refused to let Sookie down as he entered the house, holding her to him as he walked through the house to the living room.

"Lover, what happened?" he asked as he finally set her down.

Sinking down onto the sofa, Sookie rested her head in her hands as she struggled to think how to explain it all. "You're not gonna like it," she started.

"Just tell me," Eric said as he sat down beside her.

Lifting her head, she stared at him, "I don't know where to begin."

"Try the beginning," Eric suggested as he took one of her hands and held it in his own.

"I'm not sure I know where the beginning is anymore," Sookie replied.

"The Were's that kidnapped you," Eric helped, "Desmond said he was surprised they got close enough to touch you."

"That's one of the things you're not gonna like," Sookie admitted.

"Sookie, tell me," Eric ordered.

"I knew who they were when they walked into my bar," Sookie said. "I knew why they were there."

"You knew they worked for Freyda, and that they were there to kidnap you?"

"Yes."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing," Sookie confessed.

"Nothing?" Eric repeated. "Sookie, how could you be so foolish?"

"I wasn't being foolish. I saw an opportunity and I took it," Sookie defended.

"What opportunity? To be kidnapped?"

"Yes," Sookie snapped shocking Eric.

"You let the kidnap you?" Eric asked not believing his own ears.

"Yes."

"How could you be so stupid?" Eric raged. "Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Of course not," Sookie scoffed.

"Then explain it to me," Eric demanded, "because right now I'm thinking you have a death wish."

"I just… I…" Sookie sighed as she tried to compose herself. "When they showed up at my bar I knew why they were there. I could have defended myself against them, and I did to begin with, I killed one. I could have killed them all, but it wouldn't have made any difference. She would've just sent more, only next time I might've not known until it was too late. They would've probably been better prepared. So I let them subdue me. It probably wasn't my greatest plan, but I knew I could protect myself and she didn't. She underestimated me."

"It was your stupidest plan ever," Eric retorted he couldn't believe she actually let them kidnap her. He was more convinced then ever that she had a death wish.

"Probably," Sookie agreed. "I'll admit I wasn't thinking too clearly. I'd had enough Eric. I wanted her out of our lives. I hated her. It was because of her we were apart. None of what happened would have if it wasn't for her and that stupid contract. I wanted her dead."

"So did I," Eric told her. "But you didn't have to get yourself kidnapped."

"There was no way out of it and you know it Eric," Sookie said softly. "The only way you were ever gonna be free was if she was dead."

"Then you should have let me handle it," Eric argued. "I would have dealt with her."

"Eric you know as well as I that you would have been the first suspect," Sookie replied. "They would've put you on trial just like they did with Sophie-Anne. At least this way there is no way they can pin it on you. You were halfway over the Atlantic."

Eric couldn't help but smile as he remembered thinking the exact same thing; they were starting to think alike. That realization caused a wave of dread to take over him. "Sookie, please tell me you didn't do all this just because I had a alibi."

"No, I didn't," Sookie replied truthfully. "I took advantage of them attacking me when they did, but I promise you I didn't do it just because you had a alibi, although I'm glad you did."

"Tell me what happened," Eric demanded again, at least mollified that she didn't do it just so no one could blame him. "The werewolves subdued you, then what?"

"I was knocked out; they drugged me with something, and the next thing I know I woke up in a cell in Oklahoma a few hours before sunset."

"Then what?"

Eric listened as Sookie explained everything that had happened, from the time she came to, to her confrontation with Freyda. She explained how she had taunted the former vampire Queen with what had happened between them in Stockholm driving Freyda crazy.

"And then I staked her," Sookie finished with a shrug, "and then the other vampire when she came in."

Eric stared at Sookie barely hiding his shock. He had assumed Sookie had played apart in what had transpired, but he never thought for one second she had staked Freyda and Marietta single-handedly. He had dismissed her claims that she could protect herself as fanciful thinking, something it seemed he was wrong to do seeing how she had killed two vampires within minutes of each other. But he still couldn't help but wonder how. How had she killed both Freyda and Marietta and escaped the palace without anyone seeing her? And how did she know where to find him?

"You killed both Freyda and Marietta," Eric said it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes."

"How?"

"With a stake."

"That was not what I was asking and you know it," Eric sad with a hint of censure in his voice.

"I know," Sookie replied. "How I was able to do it is a strange tale to tell and one I don't fully understand myself."

"Will you tell me?" Eric asked knowing this was what she was keeping from him Stockholm.

"Yes…" Sookie whispered; pausing, she took a deep breath. "I'm not sure how to begin, or where."

"The start is usually a good place," Eric replied making Sookie smile.

"Do you know what a Cluviel dor is?" Sookie asked.

"It is a fairy trinket, highly magically, very rare. Why do you ask?" Eric asked not understanding her reason for the question.

"Because before I left Bon Temps, before the whole thing with Victor, I found one among my Gran's stuff in the attic," Sookie answered, "along with a letter. She explained it was a gift from Fintan and that she had never used it and that it was mine now. I had no idea what to do with it, but Desmond warned me to make sure none of the fairies that were hanging around knew about it. So I kept it hidden. The only person who knew about it was Amelia and I told her to keep quiet… so she probably told everyone."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Eric asked hurt that she had hidden it from him.

"I don't know," Sookie admitted. "I wish I did. I wish I would've told you and I regret that I didn't…"

"You do realize you could have used it to get me out of the contract with Freyda?"

"I do know," Sookie replied. "I realized a few years after I left I could've used it, but I swear Eric, I didn't realize it at the time. I barely thought about it. I wish I would've used it and I'm sorry I didn't."

As Eric listened to her talk, he could tell she was being truthful. He could feel her regret at not telling him or using it to get him out of the contract. He believed her when she said she hadn't realized until it was too late; he couldn't be angry with her when he had made the same mistake. He hadn't realized he could have voided the contract if he was King until after he pledged to Freyda. Eric wasn't happy that she hadn't told him about it, but then could he really blame her? He certainly hadn't told her everything. Pam had practically forced him to tell her about the contract and Freyda in the first place. Could he hold it against her that she hid things from him when he was guilty of the exact same thing?

"It's okay, lover," he said, finding he actually meant it. "We both made mistakes in the past, but what does any of this have to do with how you killed Freyda and Marietta?"

"When I left Bon Temps, I took the cluviel dor with me," Sookie replied continuing her story. "I don't know why, something just told me to. I never thought about it until…"

"Until?" Eric asked when she made no move to continue.

"Until…" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "until after what happened with Claude and the other fairies," she continued as she let out the breath. "When… after… I'd been rescued I was in a bad way. I was hurting not just physically, although my body was hurting from what they did to it, but mentally as well. I felt weak, defenseless… used. I was having nightmares every night. I kept reliving what they did to me. I woke up many times thinking they were still alive and in my room, that'd they come back for me. It didn't matter that I'd seen them die, in my mind they were still there, still hurting me. I just wanted to feel safe. I wanted to feel protected." She turned to face him on the sofa, "I wanted you."

"Oh Sookie, I'm so sorry. If I had known I would have been there," Eric swore. "I would have moved heaven and hell to have been at your side."

"I know," Sookie replied giving him a sad little smile. "I don't blame you; I know it wasn't your fault. But it was when I was recovering I remembered about the cluviel dor."

"You used it," Eric said. "You made a wish."

"I did," Sookie admitted. "I just wanted to be safe, to be protected and that's what I wished for. It was a simple wish, or so I thought, but you always told me that fairies are tricky creatures, and it seems so are their magical trinkets."

"What happened?" Eric asked curiously.

Opening her mouth, Sookie let her fangs slide down. "It made me an even bigger freak."

Eric gazed at Sookie in shock. For another of the numerous times since meeting Sookie, he was again at a loss of what to say. Reaching out a hand, he stroked a finger over her fangs making her moan. "You are a… no…" he trailed off as he tried to put it all together, but try as he might he couldn't explain it. She had fangs like a vampire, but she still had a heartbeat and was warm. Seeing how she had killed a were and two vampires, he also guessed she was stronger as well. "What are you?" he asked finally making Sookie wince.

"Me," she whispered dejectedly. "I'm still me; ain't I?"

"Forgive me, lover, but this is a lot to take in," Eric replied.

Sookie nodded her head but said nothing in reply as she prepared herself for his rejection. _I'm so stupid; of course he won't want me anymore. Why would he? I'm just a freak._

"Enough of that," Eric growled feeling her desolation, guessing what she was thinking. "I am not leaving you again, but please explain all this to me. I need to know everything."

Eric's words boosted Sookie and she started to feel the sliver of hope that they could work everything out. "I'm not sure I can explain everything, because I still don't understand some of it myself," she said. "I'm not sure what happened. We think I wasn't specific enough with my wish…"

"We?" Eric asked cutting her off.

"Desmond. He tried to research it, but as best as we can tell, nothing like this has happened before."

"I always thought you were one of a kind," Eric told her making her smile. "What did happen?"

"Best we can tell is, when I made the wish the magic inside the cluviel dor gave me the means to protect myself by activating the supernatural blood inside me. Desmond thinks it was just supposed to enhance the fairy blood, making me more fairy."

"Obviously that didn't happen," Eric deduced.

"No, he thinks it was because I had more vampire blood inside me. Even though I broke the bond, your blood still resided in me, even though it had been seven years since I'd last had it," Sookie explained. "The magic of the cluviel dor somehow animated the vampire blood, effectively turning me."

"But not completely as you still have a heartbeat and are awake during the daytime…." Eric trailed off as something hit him. "If it was my blood that turned you, does that mean I'm your maker?"

"I don't know; command me and find out."

"I command you to kiss me," Eric ordered.

"You don't have to command me to do that," Sookie said giggling and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. "And that was because I wanted too; I didn't feel the need to do it."

"Shame," Eric replied pretending to pout. "So how do you explain your heartbeat and day walking?"

"Desmond thinks that's due to the fairy blood," Sookie said. "That part of me clung to the sun and my human side clung to my life. None of it makes sense to me, but as far as we can tell, I'm part vampire, part fairy, and part human freak."

"You are not a freak," Eric snapped hating to hear her talk about herself in such a way.

"That's a matter of opinion."

"Does anyone else know?" Eric asked.

"I haven't told anyone other than Desmond and Diantha," Sookie replied. "Niall might know, or at least suspect as I haven't heard anything from the fairies in years. Not since I killed the one Dillon sent."

"It would be wise to keep to keep this a secret," Eric said switching to King mode. "Others could see you as a threat and they might try to take you out. Plus there are those who would wish to use you for their own gain."

"I have no intention of telling anyone," Sookie assured him.

"What are your strengths and weaknesses?" Eric asked suddenly.

"I'm extremely sensitive to silver, iron, and lemon. In fact they hurt like hell," Sookie answered truthfully knowing Eric was only asking so he could protect her and not because he was looking for a way to harm her. "Sunlight doesn't affect me. I still have to eat normal food, but I also need blood. I heal, but not as fast as the rest of you. I also get tired and need to sleep. I'm stronger, a lot stronger in fact. Desmond believes my strength is that of a vampire several centuries old if not older. My telepathy is stronger, I can now hear over a greater distance and Weres and Shifters are easier to read. I can also teleport, only not very far, maybe three hundred feet at the most and it hurts like hell when I do. That's how I got out of the palace, I teleported myself into the grounds and ran. I have all the weaknesses vampires have with the exception of the sun. I also age…"

"What?" Eric asked not expecting to hear that, not that he was expecting any of it, but he had assumed that she was immortal now like other vampires.

"I age much slower than humans, but I do age," Sookie told him. "We think I should live for a few centuries at least, but I'm not immortal."

A small smile spread across Eric's face as he heard that. She would live a few hundred years at least. That would give him plenty of time to convince her to become a vampire fully. She would see the world change around her in that time, and he hoped it would be enough for her to want more and let him change her, because he knew right there and then, he wouldn't survive without her again. If he lost her again, he would meet the sun the next day.

"Lover, this is great news," he said.

"You're not angry or disgusted?" Sookie asked voicing her fears.

"Of course not," Eric assured her as he pulled her into his lap. "I am sorry it happened like it did. I do not ever like to see you hurt, but I am glad you can stay with me for a long time."

"You still want me?" Sookie whispered.

"Always," Eric growled hungrily. "You are mine Sookie Stackhouse. I am never letting you go again."

"I don't ever want to be without you again," Sookie said truthfully. "I love you, Eric."

"I love you too, Sookie," Eric replied before pressing his lips to hers and kissing her gently.

Sookie happily returned the kiss tangling her hands in his hair as she moaned into his mouth, the moans turning into a whimper when Eric broke the kiss and set her down on the sofa beside him again. Confusion swept over her when she saw Eric stand up. "Eric?"

"Ssshh, lover," he said as he turned to face. Dropping to his knees in front of her, he pushed her legs apart so he could slip in-between them. "I love you Sookie. I had forgotten what love was until you walked into my life. I tried to ignore it, pretend I didn't feel it. I did and I managed up until I was cursed, but after that I could no longer deny it. I promised you that I would bring you to my side and share everything I had with you, a promise I did not keep up until now. I spent the last thirteen years without you and it was hell. I do not want to spend one more night without you. I want to bring you to my side. I want you to be my lover, my wife, my Queen. Sookie Stackhouse will you marry me? Will you be my wife and Queen?"

Tears streamed down Sookie's face as he listened to Eric's beautiful words. She had dreamed of hearing them for so long but had resigned herself to never hearing them, believing them to be over. But as she thought about it, they weren't ever really over. Time and distance could never destroy their love, and she doubted anyone or thing could.

"Sookie?" Eric asked nervously.

"Yes!" she cried.

"Yes," Eric repeated.

"Yes, I'll marry you," she accepted happily. "Of course I'll marry you."

Eric crashed his lips to hers, his arms wrapping around her as he picked her up. He smiled into the kiss as he felt Sookie's legs wrap around his waist, and he raced them through the house towards his bedroom. Laying her down on the bed, he braced himself above her and stared down at Sookie, at the beautiful creature beneath him. He couldn't quite believe his luck. The wife he hated was dead. He had the love of his undead life back, and she had agreed to marry him and be his Queen. For the first time since he had been forced to walk away from her all those years ago, he was happy, truly happy.

Eric knew he had a lot of work to do. The fallout from Freyda's death wouldn't be pretty and he still had Bill and Amelia to deal with, but at the moment Eric didn't care. He would deal with everything that came with Sookie by his side, where she should have been the whole time.

Lowering his head, Eric placed a soft kiss on Sookie's lips, "I love you."

"I love you too," Sookie replied smiling up at him. "Now shut up and make love to me."

"My pleasure," Eric growled as he proceeded to do just that.

* * *

I hoped you like the explanation of what Sookie is and how it came about. I know it's a bit farfetched, but I'm writing about vampires and fairies. One thing I wanted to do was give Sookie some weaknesses to go with her new strengths. I didn't want super Sookie.

I know I didn't explain how Sookie knew where Eric was, but she found out from Desmond. The epilogue will be going up tomorrow.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: **A big thank you to my wonderful beta, Ashensunset. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, alert, and favourite this story.

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**Epilogue **

One Year Later

Eric stared out at the sea of people that filled his reception room as vampires, Weres, and humans converged at his royal residences in New Orleans to join in the celebrations of what the supernatural quests believed to be the anniversary of Freyda's death and the breaking of the pledge it brought about. Officially, it was classified as a celebration of Eric's continued reign of power, even if he had only been King thirteen years. As Eric flicked his eyes over his numerous guests, his attention was drawn to Bill who was talking to the King of Indiana, Bartlett Crowe. A devious smile spread over Eric's face as he ran his eyes over the younger vampire. Bill clearly no idea what the true purpose of the night's celebrations was really about, and Eric couldn't wait to see the look on his face when Eric sprang his big surprise.

In the year since Sookie had killed Freyda, much had changed. After spending the night worshipping Sookie's body and reaffirming their love, Eric had been aghast when he rose the next night to the news Sookie had wanted to return to Stockholm. He had been furious with her accusing her of running again. He had refused to let her leave, something that had only infuriated Sookie. The two of them had proceeded to have a knock down drag out fight that had only ended when Eric had pinned her to the bed and their anger had morphed into something else and they had ripped each other's clothes off and proceed to fuck their anger and frustrations out. Once they had both calmed down, Sookie had calmly explained why she wanted to return to Stockholm. She hadn't wanted too, they had already spent too much time apart and the thought of spending anymore killed her, but she worried how it would look if she and Eric were seen together so soon after Freyda being killed.

As much as he hated to admit it, Eric knew she had a point. He had no doubt someone would use their reunion so soon after Freyda's death to point the blame at him. It wouldn't matter that he had an alibi, he would still be accused of being involved or planning it. Eric had been angry that he hadn't thought of that himself, but he was used not thinking clearly where Sookie was concerned.

After much discussion it was decided that Sookie would return to Stockholm while he dealt with the fallout from Freyda's death. Once that was done with he would make a show of trying to find Sookie. He knew it was a risk drawing attention to her, but he feared it would be even worse if she just showed up one day out of the blue.

The fallout from Freyda's death hadn't been too taxing. Despite the efforts of some to pin it on him, most had accepted the theory that Marietta had killed Freyda before killing herself. There had been those who believed he was behind it, but they had no proof and the council had declared him innocent of any involvement, especially after, with the help of contacts Desmond had provided, he made it impossible for anyone to perform an ectoplasmic reconstruction, silencing their arguments. Eric had been offered the rule of Oklahoma, but he refused; he never wanted anything to do with the state when Freyda was still among the undead and he had no desire to claim it now. The council had appointed a new monarch, one of Freyda's former guards. The new Queen had tried to broker an alliance with Eric, something he had quickly shot down.

Over the next year, Eric had made quite the show of looking for Sookie, putting out feelers to those he trusted. He never missed the smug look on the face of Bill whenever their paths crossed as he conducted his search, and Eric couldn't wait to wipe it off. He even went as far to seek the assistance of the local coven. It had only been a ploy on his part as he decided to give Amelia the chance to confess what she had done before he sought retribution for her crimes, something she hadn't done. She had been extremely hostile in their encounter, claiming if Sookie wanted to be found, she would have contacted him herself while knowing full well she couldn't. Amelia had taken great pleasure in the knowledge that Eric couldn't find Sookie, taunting him with it and enjoying seeing him suffer.

Eric had left their meeting more determined than ever to make Amelia pay for her actions. He agreed with Sookie that killing the witch would be more trouble than she was she worth, but he wouldn't let her actions go unpunished.

Eric flicked his eyes over to the witch who had been invited as part of her coven. He had employed them many times over the years for various reasons business and personal, but he had always made a point to inform the coven's leader that Amelia's abilities weren't needed nor trusted. Octavia Fant, the coven's leader had known of the troubles between them, and while she didn't believe Amelia would deliberately sabotage them, she had agreed to not use her for any business Eric sent her way. Just like Bill, Amelia had no idea what tonight was really about, but she would soon.

Walking to the middle of the room, Eric climbed onto the small platform he had installed for the night. Catching Pam's eyes, he nodded his head giving her the signal it was all about to begin.

A hush descended over the room as Eric took centre stage, and all eyes focused on him as everyone began to wonder what was going on. Straightening his shoulders, Eric held his head high, and he looked over his many guests before his eyes were drawn to the two large wooden doors at the front of the hall. A gasp spread through the humans in the room as they all saw a cloaked figure standing in the doorway. All eyes followed the mysterious figure as it glided slowly through the room, the sea of people parting as it moved closer to the platform. No one was able to look away as the cloaked figure stepped onto the platform and stood before Eric.

Bending at the waist, it bowed before Eric before reaching into its cloak and pulling out an ornate knife. Handing it to Eric a soft voice uttered from beneath the material, "My King."

Murmurs spread through the hall as Eric held up the knife for all to see before bringing it to his lips and kissing it reverently. "My Queen," Eric purred as he reached for her.

Shock reverberated through the hall as Eric pushed the hood of her cloak off her head revealing her blonde hair and disclosing her identity to all present.

"My husband, my King," Sookie said as she pushed the heavy cloak of her shoulders and let it drop to the floor revealing her red silk dress to Eric's hungry gaze.

"My wife, my Queen," Eric announced as he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it before pulling her to his side.

Placing a kiss on Sookie's head, Eric turned to address his guests. "Most of you know this woman here," he started, surprising Sookie who hadn't known he was going to speak. "Some of you owe her your life; it was her quick thinking at Rhodes that saved many of us. She has been a friend to the supernatural for many years, giving everything she had and asking for nothing in return. She has fought for us when no one else would, shedding her blood and tears. Tonight I honor the promise I made to her when I did not even know who I was. Tonight I bring her to my side; everything I have is hers. She is my wife and my Queen. All those who owe me fealty will honor her as you would me. A slight against her is a slight against me. Treat her with the same respect you show me, as she is now your Queen."

His eyes drifted over the room landing on Bill, a smirk spread across his face as he saw the wide-eyed frightened look on the Civil War vampire's face. One look at Bill's face told Eric he knew he was fucked. Eric swore that, if he could, Bill would have shit himself as he looked between him and Sookie.

_Oh Billy, you have no idea just how fucked you are yet. _

A sudden burst of anger drew his attention away from Bill and back to his new wife. He could see her eyes filled with anger as she glared at someone, following her line of sight his lips curled into a sneer as he saw whom his wife was glaring at.

Sookie's eyes burnt with hatred as she glared at Amelia; it took everything she had to stay where she was and not attack the witch. She had been willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and let her explain, but as she listened to her thoughts, any chance of mercy she had vanished replaced with the burning desire to tear her limb from limb.

"Lover what is it?" Eric asked his one low and for her ears only.

"The witch," Sookie replied in a whisper, careful so no one could hear.

"What is she thinking?"

"She's wondering what went wrong with the spell and how she can fix it," Sookie told him. "She doesn't like us together because it makes us happy."

Wrapping his arm around Sookie's waist, Eric held her to him, he could feel her need to attack the witch, and as much as he would have loved to see his wife beat the hell out of Amelia, it didn't want her to do it in front of some many witnesses. "Relax, lover," he purred. "She won't be able to come between us again. Desmond found us a witch to break her spell and I promise you she won't hurt us again."

"She's such a hateful bitch," Sookie spat.

"And she will pay for it, I promise."

"Okay."

Taking Sookie's hand in his, Eric led her off the platform and through the throng of guests. He could see the envious looks on the faces of many of the vampires, and he reveled in it. He was well aware that his guests knew of Sookie's worth and coveted her for themselves, but she was his and no one could dispute his claim this time having pledged to her before numerous vampire monarchs. They would be no conveniently forgetting about it now, and now that Appius was dead, no one had the power to end it. But as he looked at the faces of the other vampires, Eric realized his desire for her, his claim, was very different. His was done out of love, not greed or want of power. He pledged to her because he loved her completely and if he was honest, he always had, even when he didn't understand what love was.

"Your majesty," a voice called out halting Eric and Sookie mid-step.

Turning in the direction of the voice, Eric groaned as he saw who had stopped them. Wrapping his arm around Sookie's shoulders, he pulled her to him as he watched the new Queen of Oklahoma approached them.

"Eric, darling," she purred, ignoring Sookie completely.

"Athena," Eric replied coolly.

"Come now Eric, is that anyway to greet an old friend," Athena simpered as she stepped closer. "We used to be such good friends."

Eric snorted at Athena's definition of the former relationship, she had been nothing more than a hole to fuck and a way to piss Freyda off. In fact he hadn't touched her in almost eight years, having grown tired of her talents.

"I think you overestimate your importance," Eric replied. "We were never friends."

Athena snarled in anger at Eric's words before setting her eyes on Sookie. Much like her former Queen, she didn't understand Eric's fixation on the blonde. A devilish smile lit up her face as she turned back to Eric, "Yes maybe you're right. We never were really friends, maybe I should have said old lovers."

"Oh God!" Sookie groaned rolling her eyes. "You've got to be kidding me." She couldn't believe they were dealing with this so soon. She knew all about Eric past with the new Queen of Oklahoma, during their many meetings over the past year the two of them had talked about everything. She knew all about his marriage to Freyda, and as much as it pained her to hear it, she need to know what she would be dealing with once their reunion became public. Eric had told her how Athena, Oklahoma's new Queen, had tried to seek an alliance with him, going as far as claiming that he should honor the contract he had with Freyda with her. An unheard move, she had claimed that as she was taking over Freyda's position, she should also get all her assets, contracts, and so forth that came with her throne. Luckily for Eric, the council had dismissed her claims, stating the contract between Freyda and Eric via Appius, tied Eric to Freyda, not Oklahoma.

"I don't suppose you told her about me," Athena said trying to sow seeds of doubt in Sookie's mind. She wanted the alliance with Eric, and, like Freyda before her, she didn't intend to let Sookie stand in her way. "He often sought my company when he was visiting Oklahoma, we spent many nights enjoying each others bodies. We grew very close."

"Not that close cause he still came looking for me as soon as it could," Sookie replied refusing to let Athena come between them with her childish plans. Sookie swore sometimes vampires acted worse than children. "And really, when you say close, you really mean he fucked you a few times just to piss off your former Queen."

Athena startled not expecting Sookie to speak back to her in such a way, "Are you going to let your pet talk to a Queen like that?" she said addressing Eric.

"My bonded, wife, and Queen, can speak to you how ever she sees fit," Eric replied. "I, however, will not allow you to speak or address her in such a degrading manner. She is not my pet and you will do well to remember that."

"You intend to make her your Queen!" Athena screeched reminding him of Freyda.

"I already have," Eric said. "Sookie is the Queen of all my states. My Queen and the only Queen I will ever have."

"The council will never allow it," Athena said smugly.

"They already have," Eric informed her wiping the smile of her face. "I will never align myself or my states with you. You were a mistake I made years ago, nothing more."

Athena glared at them both before spinning on her heels and storming out. Eric watched her leave with barely concealed amusement. He knew she wouldn't let it go. She would still try to seek an alliance and come between him and Sookie, but unluckily for her, Eric knew the vultures were already circling. He doubted she would survive the year.

"Well that was fun," Sookie snarked.

"I am sorry lover," Eric whispered. "I didn't know she would try anything here tonight."

"I don't blame you," Sookie assured him. "Just her. She needs a lesson in shame."

"Speaking of a vampire who needs a lesson," Eric said suddenly his eyes landing on Bill again. "Shall we go and say hello to your old neighbor?"

"It would be rude not to," Sookie replied.

"Indeed," Eric agreed as he led her towards Bill delighting in the fearful look in his eyes. "Bill," he greeted.

"Your majesty," Bill replied bowing. "Sookie."

"I do not remember giving you permission to address your Queen in such an informal manner," Eric snarled.

Bill cast his eyes over to Sookie to see if she was going to speak up on his behalf, and when she didn't, he bowed his head. "My apologies your majesties."

"How have you been Bill?" Sookie asked taking him by surprised.

"Fine, thank you," Bill answered carefully.

"That's good," Sookie replied absently. "I know vampires don't have varying stages of health like humans, but you never know what can happen. I mean just because you were well when I saw you last, ten years ago doesn't mean you're still okay now."

Bills' eyes darted to Eric's a look of horror etched on his face. He couldn't believe Sookie had dropped it into the conversation so seamlessly. She must have known what it meant, and by the look on her face, Bill realized she did. Bill had known if Eric ever found out that he tracked Sookie down and kept it from him there would be hell to pay. In the beginning he had tracked her down in the hope of rekindling their relationship. Her relationship with Eric had been over and Bill had foolishly believed he could charm his way back into her life and bed, but he had been furious when she had refused him. It was clear to him she was still in love with Eric, and Bill hated it. He had done everything he could to destroy her feelings for Eric cruelly telling her he was back to his old ways and fucking every female in sight. He may have exaggerated Eric's behavior with his 'he's taking four or five donors a night' and making her believe he'd been doing it from the moment she left, when in reality it had been nearly ten months after she left when he took the first one.

Bill had done all he could to try and destroy any love she had for Eric, telling her how Eric was King and purposely leading her to believe he waited until after he was pledge so he could be away from her. He had deliberately hidden his success at finding Sookie from Eric, lying to him whenever he asked about his search.

"Ten years ago lover," Eric said, "that is strange as Bill claimed he never found you and didn't know where you were."

"You must be mistaken, Eric," Sookie replied. "Bill found me when I was living in Manchester, and when I was in Paris, and finally when I was living in Denmark. You remember Denmark don't you, Bill?"

Bill stared at Sookie in horror as she told Eric of every time he had found her. He couldn't believe she was doing it. He knew their last encounter had been volatile; she had even threatened to stake him when he tried to glamour her husband. He still remembered that bitterly. It was the third and final time he had found her, and it was the time he realized she would never come back to him. She had actually married a human, one who Bill took great pleasure in telling everything about Sookie's past in hopes of breaking them apart. That was something that had failed; if anything, it only made Sookie hate him. He had not forgotten her threat or that she had actually used silver on him. She had attacked him for a human. Bill curled his lip as he remembered the human male she had married; a cruel glint entered his eyes as he wondered if Eric knew she had married another in his absence. Well it would only be right to inform him, after all he had told Sookie about all of Eric's whores.

"I remember Denmark. I remember meeting Stefan; how is your husband?" he sneered.

"You just keep digging that hole deeper, don't ya?" Sookie replied. "But to answer your question, my ex-husband, whom Eric knows all about, is fine."

"Indeed, I know all about what happened in my wife's life while we were separated," Eric said rejoining the conversation. "I know how you found her in Manchester and tried to frighten her into bonding with you. I know how you lied to her over and over again. I know how you tried to glamour her ex-husband, and I know how you lied to me as well."

"I…I…" Bill stuttered not expecting Eric to know about Sookie's ex-husband or half the things he had done. Realizing he was going to be punished regardless he squared his shoulders, "You're not good enough for her. You just…"

"No, Bill," Sookie snapped cutting him off. "You're not good enough for me; you never have been, and this just proves it."

"Sookie, how can you say that? I love you."

"Don't," Sookie spat at the same time Eric wrapped his hand around Bill's throat and pushed him against the wall.

"You dare tell my wife you love her after all you have done to hurt her?" Eric snarled. "Even here tonight you tried to poison us against each other. If you truly loved her, you would be happy that she is happy. Instead you conspire to keep her miserable. I should kill you for this. You are lucky I won't."

Bill's eyes flicked over to Sookie, thinking she was the reason Eric wasn't going to send him to the final death. A small smile spread across his face at the thought; as far as he was concerned that was proof that she still loved him.

"Oh no, don't look at me. It's got nothing to do with me. I told him he should kill you," Sookie said wiping the smile of his face.

"You've changed," Bill wheezed out as Eric's hand tightened around his throat. "You used to be forgiving."

"I still am Bill. I just save it for those who deserve it."

Realizing they were drawing a lot of attention, Eric called over one of his guards. "Secure Bill in one of the cells," he ordered as he threw Bill to the guard. "Pam will be dealing with him personally."

Bill's eyes widened at the news; "No," he croaked knowing how much Pam hated him.

"Yes, your majesty," the guard replied.

Pam joined Eric and Sookie as they watched Bill be dragged away. She blew him a kiss as he struggled against the guard's hold. "You got me a present," she said, "and it's not even my birthday, but it is just what I wanted. I'll see you in a bit, Bill."

"It is a reward for all your hard work of late," Eric said smirking at his child.

"Northman," Russell Edgington called out as he approached the three of them. "I see your parties are as entertaining as ever." He turned to Sookie. "It is good to see you back where you belong."

"Thank you; it's good to be back," Sookie replied politely. "How is your husband?"

"He is wonderful," Russell beamed. "I hope you and Northman will be as happy as we are and I believe you once were. As I told that dreadful Queen he was forced to marry once, Eric always thought of you as his real wife and now you are again."

"Thank you," Sookie said sincerely.

After exchanging small chat with Russell, Eric and Sookie excused themselves to speak to some of the other guests present while Pam decided to duck out early and unwrap her present. Eric was glad he had the cells sound-proofed or he would have to glamour a lot of humans that night into forgetting the screams Bill no doubt was letting lose. Eric and Sookie spent the next few hours working the room, neither of them straying far from the other. She hadn't missed Eric taking talking to Octavia and Alcide during the course of the night; and she knew Amelia would soon be paying for her actions. That was something she wasn't sorry in the slightest for.

_Speak of the devil, _Sookie thought derisively as she saw Amelia walking towards her.

"Sookie," Amelia greeted going to hug her former roommate and missing the grimace on Sookie's face. "How are you? It's good to see you again."

"I'm fine, thank you," Sookie replied faking nice. "How are you?"

"I'm great. I'm married now," Amelia said holding out her hand showing Sookie her rings.

"Me too," Sookie replied holding her hand out as well. She didn't miss the flash of jealousy in Amelia's eyes as she looked at her ring. Eric really had outdone himself with her ring, Sookie thought as ran her thumb over the pink diamond engagement ring and platinum band.

"It must be great to have a choice this time," Amelia said taking a dig at the first time Sookie married Eric. "How did all this happen? Last I heard you were running from Eric."

"It wasn't Eric I was running from, just everyone else," Sookie defended.

"But how did you meet up again?" Amelia repeated.

Sookie smiled her crazy Sookie smile as she realized what Amelia was really asking. She wanted to know how they found each other again, so she could figure out what went wrong with her spell so she could fix it. She was convinced she could separate them again. She didn't want them together; they were supposed to be apart and miserable. As she dug through Amelia's mind, Sookie realized that, while she still blamed her for Tray's death, that was only part of her reasoning for all she had done.

Amelia was jealous. She wanted to be where Sookie was, not necessarily with Eric, but she craved the power being with a vampire of his position gave. She had tried to use Hadley to get closer to Sophie-Anne, offering her an apartment, but the former Queen of Louisiana had shown no interest in her at all. She had shown little attention to her even after she had shown she was a powerful witch. When she had met Sookie, she thought she could use her to latch on to Eric. He would have seen the benefit of having her by his side and quickly claim her for himself. But he had shown her even less attention then Sophie-Anne had. He had been fixated on Sookie and she had begun to resent the telepath because of it. Even her brief relationship with Pam had been down to Eric's need to keep an eye on Sookie, something she had been furious about. She hated that Sookie was being offered and was refusing what she craved. She had begun to hate all three of them and wanted to make them pay for not wanting her. Tray dying to protect Sookie had only turned her resentment into full-blown hatred; in her own way Amelia had loved the lone wolf. The fact that he had been willing to risk his life for Sookie had left a bitter taste in her mouth. Everyone was willing to fight and die for Sookie, but none of them were willing to do the same for her.

Amelia had been delighted when Sookie had asked her about breaking the bond. She had been researching a way to do it before she even asked, and was more than happy to do it. She had hoped that breaking the bond would break them apart, and when that failed she had convinced Alcide to visit Sookie after letting him know the bond had been broken. She hadn't expected Sookie to kick her out of the house though. That had come as a surprise.

She had been ecstatic when she heard about the contract between Eric and Freyda, loving how much trouble it caused them, and she hadn't been able to contain her glee when Eric actually married her. She was only sorry she wasn't there to witness it herself. She would have loved to see not only the effects Sookie's pain, but she wished to watch the mighty Viking be forced to do something he didn't want to. Despite what she claimed, she hadn't been surprised when Sookie ran; she knew she would, and she didn't really care. She had used Sookie not leaving a message for her as an excuse to try and cause trouble for Eric, accusing him of kidnapping and killing her. She had known he hadn't done either, but she had hoped if she made enough noise the right people would have investigated him and sanctioned him in someway.

Sookie gritted her teeth doing everything she could to not alert Amelia to the fact she was reading her mind. Everything had been pretty much as Eric suspected. Amelia had preformed the spell to keep them apart out of hatred. She had wanted them to suffer; from her thoughts Sookie realized the spell was only supposed to end when one of them died. Instead, as best as she could tell, it only failed because Eric and Freyda had the same person looking for her. Marcus had been able to find her because he was also working for Freyda. If he would have just been working for Eric he would have never succeeded even if he had walked into her bar, quite the loophole Sookie thought. The more she learned the more disgusted Sookie became. Amelia had used magic to seduce Alcide into impregnating her just so she could claim his protection, just as she had done with Bob. Her children were just another layer of her manipulations. She had known they would be some fallout if what she did was ever found out, and she had planned to protect herself. She had used people, seduced them, and had their children just to protect herself.

"We…" Sookie started but trailed off as she made a show of looking around, lowering her voice she continued, "I shouldn't really talk about it here. Come with me; we'll go catch up."

Amelia beamed at Sookie as she followed her out of the hall not believing her luck, so lost in her own head she didn't notice the look that passed between Eric and Sookie.

Sookie led Amelia through the royal residence not missing he envious looks on her former friends face as she took in the splendor that was Eric's palace. She took her to Eric's office, knowing they would have some privacy. Inviting Amelia to sit down in one of the chairs in front of his large mahogany desk, Sookie perched herself on the edge of his desk.

"So how did you meet up again?" Amelia asked repeating her earlier question.

"It's quite a funny story actually, Eric tracked me down to the bar I owned in Sweden," Sookie answered sticking as close to the truth as possible.

"How's that funny?" Amelia asked.

"It isn't, but what is, is that apparently someone put a spell on us to keep us apart. As you can see it didn't work. Obviously the witch who did it wasn't very powerful or skilled. I mean as soon as Eric looked for me he found me."

"That's awful," Amelia exclaimed feigning shock. "Do you know who it was?"

"Eric thinks it was just some small time witch with little power or brains. A Hallow wannabe but without any of her power. I mean whoever did it must be stupid."

"Why'd you say that?" Amelia asked through gritted teeth her blood boiling as she listened to Sookie deride her and her abilities.

"Cause who in their right mind would cross Eric?" Sookie replied like it was obvious. "The last witch who tried to mess with Eric ended up torn to pieces, and she had real power. She wasn't some jealous, spiteful, back-stabbing bitch. I doubt Hallow ever accidentally turned her lover into a cat."

"What?" Amelia spluttered her eyes widening in shock.

"Really Amelia, you didn't think we'd figure it out?" Sookie chided. "This has your name written all over it."

"Sookie, I don't know what you're talking about." Amelia replied rising to her feet.

"Yeah you do, you know exactly what I'm talking about. So just admit it."

"Sookie really…"

"Enough, enough of the lies. You forget Amelia, I can hear it all in your head. Admit it Amelia; admit it was you."

"Fine," Amelia spat dropping all pretenses. "I did it and you both deserved it. You deserve to be alone and miserable. You're not supposed to be together."

"Why? Because you said so. Because you wanted the power Eric has for yourself," Sookie replied getting all the answers out of Amelia's head. "No, there is something else, another reason you did all this. What is it?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Amelia denied.

"But I do Amelia," Sookie cooed. "You didn't know I was going to be here. How could you? So you didn't perform your little mind shield spell. I can see it all. Sophie-Anne didn't want you, neither did Eric or Pam, but…" she paused as she pulled the answers out of her head. "Victor, Victor paid you to try and break us up. He promised you a place in his court when he took over from de Castro. You would have finally got all the power you craved, well providing he didn't drain you, but we killed Victor before he had a chance to make good on his promise, and you were back to having nothing."

"I don't have to listen to this," Amelia snarled spinning on her heels. She hadn't taken more then a step when she froze her eyes widening as she saw who stood just inside the door. So lost in her argument with Sookie, she hadn't heard anyone enter the room.

"You are not going anywhere, witch," Eric snarled.

"You can't stop me," Amelia replied foolishly. "I have the protection of my coven and the Longtooth pack."

"A protection that will be revoked if what I have learned here tonight proves to be true," Alcide said as he stepped out from behind Eric.

"Alcide," Amelia gulped.

"Amelia what have you done?" Octavia asked she and Bob entered the room behind Alcide.

After watching Sookie lead Amelia out of the hall, Eric had made his way over to Octavia. He had had countless encounters with the old witch over the years and the two of them had developed a quite pleasant business relationship. He had explained everything that he suspected and requested she follow him to his office so they could deal with it. Octavia had been skeptical, not believing for one second Amelia was capable to doing something so spiteful, but she had agreed determined to prove him wrong. On Eric's request she had also asked Amelia's husband Bob to accompany them while Eric spoke to Alcide. Now, as she stood inside the office, Octavia couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't believe Amelia could be so cruel and deceitful.

"Octavia, it's not what it sounds like; I swear," Amelia defended.

"No, it's not," Sookie agreed, "it's far worse."

Dread swept over Amelia as she stood by helplessly as Sookie revealed every little thing she did. She shrank under the gazes of Bob and Alcide as Sookie told them how she had used magic to trick them into her bed and bear their children. She had been stripped bare by time Sookie was finished, all her sins laid out to see.

"How could you?" Amelia cried facing Sookie.

"How could I?" Sookie scoffed. "You have the nerve to ask me that after all you've done. You brought this on yourself. I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but all I've heard from you tonight is you wondering how you can fix the spell you placed on us; you're not even sorry. You're only sorry you got caught."

"That's not true," Amelia cried.

"Damn it Amelia, stop lying," Bob shouted surprising everyone with his forcefulness.

"I'm not," Amelia swore clinging desperately to any chance of survival. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it, but I thought I was doing what Sookie wanted."

"Did she also want you to use magic to seduce us?" Alcide growled thoroughly disgusted with her. He couldn't believe she could stoop so low. He always wondered how he ended up in bed with her that first time and why he kept going back, especially considering he had a girlfriend at the time, one he was beginning to fall in love with.

He had put the first time down to alcohol. He had been drinking away his sorrows after an argument with his girlfriend when he ran into Amelia, although he now realized she had been looking for him. Why else would she have been at the Hair of the Dog? He had been racked with guilt the next morning having cheated on his girlfriend, Jill, but the guilt hadn't stopped him seeking her out again. His thoughts had been consumed with her almost to the point of obsession. He hadn't cared that she was married or that he had a girlfriend at that point. He had chased her to New Orleans more then once, even going as far as fucking her in her martial bed. He had paid Bob no concern, not even feeling guilty that he had taken his wife in his own house. His obsession with her had only stopped when she found out she was pregnant with his child, something he now knew she planned. Knowing she had used magic to seduce him caused a bitter taste in his mouth; he felt violated and he couldn't help but hate her for it.

Amelia was a loss at what to say. She couldn't defend her use of magic to get both Alcide and Bob into her bed without admitting everything she had done had been purely selfish on her part. She couldn't tell them she had planned it all out before she even placed the spell. "I… I…"

"You're a disgrace to witchcraft," Octavia said disappointed, "you seek power you have proven you're ill equipped to handle. You toy with things you have no right to. I am ashamed to have been your mentor, a role it seems I failed."

"Octavia, no," Amelia cried. "You were a great teacher."

"If that was the case, you wouldn't have magically raped two men," Octavia replied disgustedly.

"What? No, I didn't. I wouldn't," Amelia said shocked to be accused of such a thing.

"You used magic to get them to sleep with you," Octavia replied. "You took away their choice. That is illegal, even by human laws. What you did was disgusting and I'm ashamed to ever have called you friend."

"But it wasn't like that," Amelia argued refusing to believe what she did was anything like rape.

"It was exactly like that," Bob interjected. "Was it even my idea to marry you or did you use magic to get me to propose to you as well?"

"I swear it was your idea. I didn't do anything to make you."

"Unfortunately your word means nothing now," Bob retorted. "I can't believe a word you said."

"Bob, please," Amelia pleaded. "I swear, I only used magic on you to forgive me for turning you into a cat and for my affair with Alcide. Everything else was real."

"No it wasn't," Bob replied. "None of it was real because, if it was, you would never have used magic on me at all. I can't believe you. I don't even know who you are and I don't think I ever did." He turned to face Sookie. "I'm sorry for all she has done," he added. "I promise I had nothing to do with it."

"I know you didn't," Sookie replied as she hopped off the desk and moved to stand beside Eric.

"Our whole marriage was a sham," Bob spat casting Amelia a scornful look, "but it ends now. You'll be hearing from my lawyer. I want you out of the house."

"Where am I supposed to go?" Amelia asked. "What about the children?"

"Where you go I don't care, and the children will be better off with me. There is no telling what you will teach them," Bob replied before storming out of the office.

Alcide glared at Amelia with thinly veiled hatred. The depths of her manipulations were truly depraved. He thought him lucky she only used magic on him to get her pregnant and not marry her, not that that was okay, far from it, but at least he wasn't in Bob's position. Despite what many believed, Alcide wasn't stupid. He knew she had done it for protection against Eric. Her actions could have caused a war and killed many.

"As packmaster of the Longtooth pack I am revoking you friend of the pack status," Alcide started startling Amelia. "No were in my pack will come to your aid if you are in trouble. We will not avenge you if you are harmed. In the eyes of the pack you are no one. You are not welcome at any establishment or business that belongs to one of us. Bryce is my son and is welcome to run with us when the time comes, but you are not welcome. If you were two-natured I would abjure you," addressing Eric, he added. "No were will seek retribution for any punishment you hand out. We will not go to war over her. As far as the Longtooth pack is concerned, she no longer exists."

"Alcide, no, you can't do that," Amelia shouted. "He'll kill me."

Alcide ignored her cries as he strolled to the door. Pausing in the doorway, "It's good to see you again, Sookie," he said before walking through the door, leaving Amelia to her fate.

Amelia stared at the door with shock. She couldn't believe Alcide had left her to fend for herself. He knew what Eric was like, how vicious and cruel he was, and to leave her to his mercy was in Amelia's opinion far worse then anything she might have done. So she put a spell on Eric and Sookie to keep them apart. She hadn't sentenced either of them to death, she thought overlooking her deal with Victor. They would have both been fine without each other, maybe a little miserable, but they deserved that. Her actions hadn't put them in danger. In Amelia's mind she was the innocent victim here. Eric and Sookie had destroyed her marriage, destroyed any protection she had with the Longtooth pack, and from the frown of Octavia's face, ended a long-standing friendship. Yes, as far as she was concerned, she was the injured party here.

She glared at Eric and Sookie, "Are you happy now?" she spat. "Have you gotten what you wanted?"

"Not quite; you are still breathing," Eric growled advancing on her making her shrink back in fear, "The only reason you are not floating in a swamp somewhere with the other filth is because Sookie convinced me otherwise. You would be wise to bite your tongue and not make me change my mind."

Amelia looked to Sookie; the news that she had stopped Eric killing her gave her the small hope she would survive the night. "Thank you," she choked out the words leaving a bad taste in her mouth. She had decided to do and say anything to survive the night. She would lie, cry, and beg; she would even offer up her body for their pleasure if she had too.

"Don't thank me, I didn't do it for you. And no one here wants your body; they never have," Sookie replied knowing exactly what Amelia was thinking.

"Then why?" Amelia asked, genuinely curious and ignoring the crack about no one wanting her.

"Because I knew if Eric killed you the witches and the Longtooth pack would feel obligated to avenge you. Countless would die because of you, and you aren't worth it. You're not worth one life, even your own. But you already knew all this. You knew Eric wouldn't risk a war with witches and werewolves. You thought you were safe…"

"But you thought wrong," Eric finished. "I may not kill you, but you are far from safe. In fact by time I'm finished you will probably long for death. You will pay for your crimes."

"What crimes?" Amelia spat all pretense of remorse gone at hearing they weren't going to kill her. She could make Alcide and Bob forgive her and get back their protection so no one could touch her. "I did you both a favor. You're toxic together. You're better off apart. Sookie was always complaining about everything. She never wanted to be apart of our world…"

"Our world," Eric cut her off. "Not yours. Not anymore. You are no longer apart of it."

"It's my world too, and you can't stop me being apart of it," Amelia sneered.

"No, but I can," Octavia interjected. "You have broken the code of our coven. Your selfish, cruel actions could've put us at war with a vampire King of three states; you could have wiped us all out. You have used magic to do harm; you used it to manipulate a packmaster. It's clear to me that you're not deserving of the magic you possess. You have no respect for our ways or beliefs. You believe you can do anything you like without care of those you harm or the consequences of your actions. The last witch who believed that ended up dead at the hands of the King's child. You're lucky they brought this to our attention and didn't just kill you."

"Lucky?" Amelia screeched. "They ruined my marriage."

"No, Amelia, you ruined that yourself. You lied, cheated and manipulated Bob. You only have yourself to blame." Turning to address Eric, she added, "I apologize for what she did."

"It is not your apology to give," Eric replied, "but she will never give one."

"At least not one she means," Sookie interjected. "She's not sorry in the slightest. She doesn't think she's done anything wrong as far as she's concerned she's the victim here. She's actually trying to think of a spell she can use to get out of all this."

"Get out of my head," Amelia screamed lunging for Sookie. It was all Sookie's fault. If she hadn't come back none of this would have happened and no one would have known what she did.

Eric got between them before Amelia had even reached Sookie. Wrapping his hand around her throat, he lifted her into the air, his fangs snapping down. "Attempt to attack my wife again and I will kill you after I spend weeks torturing you. You will scream, beg, and plead for mercy and for death," he said before throwing her against the desk smirking as he heard her ribs crack as she collided with it.

"Amelia, enough. You have shamed yourself enough," Octavia said her voice rising slightly. "I give you my word she will not use magic to get out of this or to harm you in anyway," she added addressing Sookie. "I will personally see to that; I promise."

"Octavia no," Amelia cried aghast tears streaming down her face from both pain and the knowledge of what she was going to do. "You can't."

"I can and will," Octavia stated firmly. "You have disgraced our coven, and as it's leader it is my responsibility to punish you accordingly."

"Octavia, please," Amelia begged.

"No, I won't allow you to continue to practice magic you have proven you're ill equipped to handle," Octavia said solemnly. "You have shown you don't possess the responsibility that comes with being a witch. I won't allow you to harm anyone else. Your majesties," she addressed, "I will make sure she can't interfere with either of you again. Come on Amelia, it's time to leave."

"No!" Amelia screamed unable to believe what Octavia was planning on doing. "I won't…"

"You can either willingly leave with Octavia, or I can have Pam drag you out, and I'm sure you remember what happened the last time you pissed Pam off," Eric interrupted smirking.

Amelia unconsciously lifted a hand to her scarred cheek. She had never forgotten the rage Pam held the night she scared. Amelia had been terrified of her, if truth be told. She was more scared of Pam then she was Eric, and that was saying something because Eric was terrifying. Placing a hand over her stomach, Amelia took a shakily step towards Octavia her eyes downcast as the realization of everything she had lost hit her.

"I hope you're happy," Amelia spat. "You've ruined my life."

"Ecstatic," Eric admitted.

"It's a bitch when someone interferes with your life and tries to ruin it, isn't it?" Sookie asked.

"Now get out of my house. If I ever see you again, I will kill you regardless of the consequences," Eric finished threateningly.

"She will not bother you again," Octavia assured him before dragging Amelia out of the office.

"Things are always more interesting when you are around lover," Eric said chuckling.

"Is that your way of saying you missed me?" Sookie asked smiling at him. "What's Octavia going to do to Amelia?"

"If I understood her correctly, she is going to bind her magic," Eric told her. "She won't be able to perform magic anymore."

"She's gonna make her a squib?" Sookie replied sniggering. "Are you okay with that? I know you wanted to kill her."

"I am; in a way this will be far worse. She will no longer be able to perform magic. She has lost all her connection in the supernatural world. Like I told her, this is our world and she is no longer apart of it, just an outsider looking in. Regardless, she is no longer our problem."

"So what do we do now?" Sookie asked. "Should we rejoin the party?"

Eric raked his eyes over Sookie, lingering briefly on her breasts, feeling his pants tighten. "I think not," he leered, stalking towards her and backing her up to the wall, his body caging her in. "It is our wedding night and I believe it is custom for a husband to worship his wife and make love to her all night long."

"Do you think you're up to it?" Sookie taunted. "I mean you're not as young as you used to be."

"I assure you lover, I am more than up to it," Eric growled thrusting his hips against hers showing her just how _up_ to it he was. "But don't just take my word for it. Allow me to demonstrate."

Not giving her a chance to reply, Eric grabbed Sookie's hips and threw her into the air and over his shoulder, loving her small squeal of surprise. He sped through his palace towards his bedroom. Throwing her on the bed, he crawled on after her bracing himself above her. Eric stared down at her, her blonde hair fanned out over the pillow beneath her, a sweet smile on her soft lips that he just had to kiss.

Lowering his head, Eric placed his lips on hers in a gentle kiss. He rested his body over hers as he sank into the kiss. He poured all his feelings into it, his love, his happiness, and his lust as his hands moved over her body caressing her.

His touch lit a fire in Sookie and she tugged desperately at his clothes dying to feels his flesh against hers. Never one to deny her, Eric stood up and quickly shed his clothes before ripping Sookie's dress and underwear, making her gasp.

Eric worshipped her with his hands and mouth, bringing to her to completion many times before moving up her body and joining with her in one powerful thrust. The room filled with their moans of pleasure as they moved together in perfect sync. Their bond was wide open as they both flooded it with their love and happiness. Eric took her to the brink of ecstasy more times then she could remember as he made sweet love to her. They clung to each other as they came, words of love whispered between them.

Sookie lied in Eric's arms, her head cushioned on his chest as he traced patterns on her back. The sun had rose over an hour ago and Eric was starting to feel its pull, but he was reluctant to give into it, wanting the night to never end.

Sookie smiled against his chest as she felt his refusal to surrender to the sun. "Always so stubborn," she chided playfully.

"Not stubborn, happy," Eric corrected placing a kiss on top of her head. "I do not want this night to end. I want to stay here with you."

"I know you do," Sookie replied softly, "and if I could make it happen I would. But I used up my wish a long time ago." Lifting her head, she stared into his eyes. "Sleep, my love. I will be here when you rise. I won't leave."

"Promise?" Eric asked.

"I promise. I'm not going anywhere, Eric. You're stuck with me forever."

"Forever?"

"Forever," Sookie repeated.

_Forever._ Eric whispered in his mind, a smile on his face as the sun finally claimed him for the day. He had never looked forward to something as much.

* * *

I can't believe it's over, *sobs.* When I started writing this it was supposed to be a one-shot. It ended when Sookie left Bon Temps and that was supposed to be it. Then Eric demanded his say, so I thought, two-shot, with an unhappy ever after, but the more I wrote, the more I realized I couldn't do it. After everything I put Sookie through I thought she deserved a happy ending. I could have given her it with someone else, but given how everyone had conspired and plotted to keep Eric and Sookie apart, I figured it would have been like letting them win, and that was something I couldn't do.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'll admit at times it broke my heart, writing what Sookie went through wasn't easy, but I wanted to give her the strength and not make her a victim. Hopefully that came through in my writing. For those who read my stories probably know, I like writing a strong Sookie.

Now for hopefully some good news, after some thought and emailing my beta about it, I have decided to write a sequel. I still have the whole Niall thing to address and they'll do no doubt face problems from others in the supernatural world. I'm not addressing them in this fic as the way it turned out, this fic is more about Eric and Sookie finding their way back to each other. They were torn to shreds and had to put the pieces back together and become whole again. The sequel will be them on solid ground, projecting a united front facing their enemies.

I intend to write the story out first and then post like I have done this one, one or two chapters a day. If all goes to plan, you should start getting the chapters around the end of October/beginning of November. Checkout my Facebook page, (link in my profile) I post updates and teasers there.


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